Sesshomaru And Sango A Tale Of Two Hearts
by Angelhair-one
Summary: Sango runs away after catching Miroku cheating. She becomes gravely injured. Sesshomaru and charges come across the injured woman and Rin decides to help heal Sango. Can mortal enemies learn to get along or will deeply ingrained hatred rule?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not, I repeat do not own any part of Inuyasha or any of it's affiliates … sigh …

I have taken the advice of a really good writer, and even though it has taken some time to get to this … I have revised the first three chapters. I hope that reading them will be more enjoyable!

Revised August 7, 2006

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**Chapter One – Sango's Tears** …

The forest was dark with ominous shadows, not that she noticed. She kept walking forward in a near daze. Her eyes momentarily dry from the countless tears that she had cried over the last couple of days. Sango did not really have a destination, however; she didn't want to go back "there" just yet. The pain in her heart was still too great for her to bear and she did not want the pain to escalate further. Unbidden, images flashed in her mind.

'No! I don't want to remember. Please, not just yet.' She whispered to herself. Encompassing sorrow washed over her and her eyes threatened tears, again. She felt like a fool. She had known that Miroku was of the lecherous kind. She cursed herself for allowing Kagome to talk her into feeling things and admitting things that Sango should have never felt nor said.

Sango stopped walking and stood where she was. She did not notice that the forest had taken on an eerie silence and that the only sound now was from her ragged breathing from a pain-tightened throat. Sango looked down at the ground as she felt bone numbing weariness creeping up her limbs. Inside a piece of her wanted to surrender to the numb, curl up and not feel anything, ever.

Eyes like the darkest night watched her every move.

Sango moved and a flash of motion caught her attention. She tensed shaking herself from the stupor that she had found herself. It was at that moment in which she finally sensed the evil yokai presence that had been stalking her for over a day. The demon had been watching and waiting for her to show a sign of weakness.

The beast lunged at her from its hiding spot among a thick patch of brush several feet away. Sango jumped to the side, barely avoiding the demon's first attack. She had barely turned in the direction of the fiend grabbing her Hiraikotsu, when the creature lunged again at her. Knocking her off her feet, the demon landed beside her. She rolled away from the vile beast and the demon bit the air where she had been a mere second before. Lurching to her feet she brought the Hiraikotsu forward and was forced to use it as a shield as the youkai attacked again. She caught her breath as a large gob of the demon's venomous saliva landed onto her thigh burning through the material.

'Huh?' she thought, wincing from the sudden pain. 'Just what kind of youkai is this thing? My demonslayer outfit repels most venoms and poisons, but this stuff is burning through my clothes as if it was made of simple tissue.' She pondered as she found an opening to use her weapon and hurled it towards the beast. She ignored the growing pain, focusing all her attention on the lanky dark brown furred creature before her. The creature dodged the attack and heaved itself at Sango who did not have the Hiraikotsu to shield herself. With practiced dexterity, Sango unsheathed her sword and swiped at the yokai as she jumped over the creature, avoiding the beast's assault. The sword contacted flesh and sliced through the demon's shoulder blade, rendering the left forearm useless.

The demon roared in surprise and pain. It turned to face her, enraged beyond any type of reasoning that the creature might have possessed and launched itself again at Sango. The Hiraikotsu that she had launched mere seconds earlier returned to her grasp and she used the weapon like an axe swinging at the youkai in rapid repetition. Using it's remaining working claws and long slime coated teeth set in a large canine-ish mouth the demon pressed in for the attack, rage and pain canceling out any shred of preservation that it might have had. Varying lunging with the sword and swinging with the Hiraikotsu, Sango connected with the beast's head and an audible crack resounded through the forest. The creature collapsed onto the ground convulsing, as it's brains visibly pulsed from the gash in it's head. The demon was soon still.

Standing above the dead youkai's body, Sango studied the creature as she absently grabbed for a small packet of basic medicinal supplies that she had hidden within her armor. She felt oddly euphoric examining the strange beast. The adrenaline coursing through her body revitalized her. She crouched down to get a closer look at the dead yokai wincing from the pain coming from the acid burn on her thigh. She opened the packet and grabbed a small wad of gauze hidden inside. She wanted to examine the body further but the pain in her leg was increasing. Sango knew from experience that the acid would continue to burn until washed off. She rose and looked around the surrounding area to get her bearings.

It was then she realized she was lost. She had been traveling for days, deep in her own pain and sad thoughts and did not think to memorize her surroundings. Breathing deeply to ward off the small lump of panic that had formed in the pit of her stomach, she closed her eyes and tried to remember any clues to her present location. There was none. Sighing, she opened her eyes and caught a faint wisp of the scent of water.

A small smile of relief settled on her face. Without looking back, she started to walk with a slight bit of difficulty towards the direction where the soothing smell of fresh water wafted.

It took her some time to reach the source of the water scent. It was a small brook of water only a couple of yards wide and only a couple of feet deep at the center. Sango released her weapon and carefully placed it in a dry place close enough to the stream should she need it and proceeded to undress from the bottom down. She kneeled down and dipped the wad of gauze in her hand into the water. Gingerly she cleaned the area around the acid burn, wincing as the cool water made the burning sensation increase for a moment.

'This will not do.' She thought and rose. Sango removed the rest of her clothing and stepped into the stream. She crouched down into the water as far as she could so that the gently flowing stream could wash the burn more thoroughly. She closed her eyes as the water cleansed the wound making the pain diminish.

As the pain flowed away with the current, her thoughts returned to the reason why she was out there alone. Her eyes misted as her memories came crashing back to her.

"Miroku, why?" She whispered to the air, knowing that no answer would be forthcoming from the bubbling sounds of the stream.

Memories of Miroku filled her head. Visions of Miroku smiling at her. Memories of Miroku's willingness to comfort her when she needed comforting by someone other than Kagome; Miroku proclaiming his "love" for her and that once they had defeated Naraku, Miroku wanting to have a life with her. Memories of Miroku looking at her with those yearning intense deep blue eyes that she could become lost in if she had let herself. She never allowed herself to be swept away by those eyes. That had been the "problem". He had grown tired of her violent rejections of his advances. Eventually he had stopped attempting to grab her intimate body parts. Way deep down inside she had enjoyed his "misplaced" attentions. She had realized this and after talking with Kagome, had decided to take their relationship a step further.

Still in the stream, she wiped away the tears that fell steadily down her face stinging scratches that she had not know she received in her battle with the demon. She hugged herself as her eyes unfocused and her attention turned inward toward unwelcome memories of that day.

_Sango and the gang had to pause in their search for Naraku and the remaining shards of the Shikon jewel. Kirara had sustained an injury during the last battle they had with Naraku. She worried for Kirara, they all did. Even Inuyasha, although he had trouble showing it. The very fact that he had not put up too much of a fight when Kaede had told them that Kirara needed time to heal, was all the proof Sango needed. While they waited for Kirara to get better, Kagome had pulled Sango off to the side and in an attempt to take Sango's mind away from her worry for her dear friend, Kagome asked Sango about Sango's feelings for Miroku. Kagome was always fishing for information. It was some weird fascination for Kagome, Sango thought to herself. After talking with Kagome, Sango relented to her feelings and in an uncharacteristic, decision, decided that she wanted to take her relationship with Miroku further._

_She had felt giddy, almost breathless with anticipation. She wondered if this is what a woman might feel on her wedding night. She was going to tell Miroku that she wanted to take the relationship further. She was humming to herself as she searched for Miroku. _

_Turning a corner she stopped, stunned. Ahead of her was Miroku kissing another woman! She held her breath and blinked, hoping that her eyes had been playing a cruel trick on her. She stood rooted to the spot as she watched Miroku escort the woman into a building. Sango was beyond stunned. She stood for what felt like eons in the same spot that she had been. _

'_Hadn't he said he loved her on numerous occasions? Didn't he proclaim that they would have a life together once this mess with Naraku had been concluded? How could he do this!' She thought as anger infused her. She began walking towards the entrance that Miroku had entered. Rage inflamed every cell in her body. _

"_Lecherous monk! When I get through with you, Miroku, you'll wish that wind scar of yours would open up and swallow you in!" Sango muttered. _

_She had been just about to enter the residence, when she heard what sounded like moaning from a man and a woman. Her mouth formed a small 'O" and her face infused with blood as she realized what those sounds must mean. A moment later, she heard Miroku calling out the woman's name. She took a couple of steps back. The blood that had infused her face moments before left._

_With a will of it's own, her body moved toward the sounds and into the house. Inside herself she screamed over and over. She wanted to run away from that place, but her body refused to do what the mind and the heart demanded. She continued forward toward the entrance of the room where the sounds were coming from. _

'_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! I don't want to do this! I don't want to know!' She screamed silently begging her body to stop._

_She watched her hand reach to open the partition into the bedroom. Her eyes fell upon the bodies entangled on the sleeping platform. She stood there and watched as Miroku thrust with wild abandon against the enthusiastic woman beneath him. _

"_Miroku…" Sango whispered as tears flooded her eyes and down her face._

_The rutting couple paused and Miroku looked toward Sango in the doorway. His eyes had been glazed with passion and then shock, as they comprehended the devastated woman before him._

_Sango turned and ran. She heard Miroku call her name, and she ran faster. _

She tried to recall what had happened after that incident. Everything was hazy. She remembered Kagome trying to talk to her, and Sango snapping at Kagome telling Kagome to leave her alone and that she was going back to the Demonslayer's village. Sango could not wait for Kirara to get better. She just wanted to leave. She had to get away from Miroku as fast as she could. She remembered running until she could not run anymore, and then walking as fast as her legs would take her.

'That had been days ago and I don't remember which direction I took.' She thought to herself as she leaned back and let the stream wash her hair and face. She lifted her head out of the water and looked for the position of the sun hoping to find some clue to her location.

'Well, the sun is in that direction, which means the opposite direction should be north at this time of day, but north where?' she thought. 'I haven't been lost since I was a small girl.' She looked down at her legs shimmering in the water. "Hummm, the burn doesn't look too bad. Hopefully, the water washed out any poison." She murmured to herself.

End of Chapter One.

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**Is this better? (Thank you birchbud!)**


	2. Chapter 2

Revised – August 12, 2006

**Chapter Two – Sesshomaru's Memories …**

Sesshomaru walked slowly, thus allowing Jaken and Rin time to catch up. It was his small way of showing his charges that they were in fact important to him. For most of Sesshomaru's life, he had been trained to restrain himself and never allow personal feelings to show through his carefully cultivated façade. He had been a passionate child, full of wonder and happiness. He had been his father's pride, and his father had always taken the time to show Sesshomaru the wonders of life between lordly duties.

He still recalled the exact day when his mother had demanded she begin training Sesshomaru in the ways of a Great Demon Lord. His father had argued with his mother for most of the day in his father's war room. Sesshomaru had run into the room holding a most amazing flower that he had found and had wanted to give it to his father. His father looked weary, older than his years. His mother looked victorious until she spotted the young Sesshomaru. It took her only a moment for her to reach Sesshomaru and less than a moment for her to rip the flower from his hand, crush it beyond recognition and then backhand him, sending him flying across the room.

"Know your station!" She demanded in a voice drenched in ice. "From this day on, you will act like the Great Demon Lord you were bred to become. I will no longer stand for your weaknesses. You WILL learn to conduct yourself accordingly." She stated, grabbed Sesshomaru's arm and stormed towards the entrance.

Sesshomaru began to cry. His tears mixed with the blood that flowed down his face from a laceration above his left eye, that he had received upon connecting with one of the stone walls in his father's war room. The sound died in his throat when his mother glared at him. He had never seen the expression that she wore on her face and it frightened him to the core. He looked helplessly to his father hoping that his father would intervene, only to see his father stiffly turn away, hiding his face. Sesshomaru's last memory of those moments had been of gazing at the precious gift that he had joyously wanted to give to his father, the flower, now on the floor where his mother had dropped it after she had crushed it. It was the first time Sesshomaru had ever produced tears, and it had been the start of a long era of tears before he was able to control them and the emotions that caused them.

He could still recall the 'lessons' that his mother and instructor gave him whenever he had allowed his feelings to show. It took Sesshomaru a very long and painful time for him to master the stone features that he wore to this day. The mark of the crescent moon that he now wore on his forehead was a testament to those dark, dark days. He had not been born with it. The mark was actually a rare form of demonic brand. Burned into him physically, mentally and spiritually by his mother to ensure that Sesshomaru would always remember his 'teachings' at the hands of his mother and the instructor his mother had found for him.

It was many years before he saw his father again. When they finally stood in front of each other Sesshomaru had grown to the height he was now. The relationship between them was never the same. Sesshomaru felt resentment to his father for allowing his mother to do the things that she did to him. His father could never breach the barrier that had been instilled and strongly reinforced into Sesshomaru. They traveled together and battled together for many years. In time, Sesshomaru had grown to respect his father; however, the closeness that Sesshomaru had with his father when he had been a child was gone.

Rin caught up to Sesshomaru and proceeded to hug his legs in her joy of finding him. He had stopped while he had been lost in thought.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin squealed in childish glee. A huge smile lit up her face in her joy.

"Rin?' Sesshomaru asked without looking at the girl. His gaze focused on the horizon.

"Yes my lord?" She answered.

"Take Ah-Un and have Jaken accompany you to find food." He said to the girl.

"Okay!" Rin responded.

Rin released Sesshomaru and ran/danced toward the noise that Jaken was making as he clumsily foraged towards them. She grabbed Ah-un's reins and went into the forest leading the two-headed beast.

Sesshomaru waited until he could no longer hear his charges before he began walking again. He kept close to the forest, one ear tuned for any sounds of distress should Rin and Jaken find themselves in a situation that warranted his attention. He walked with a steady long gaited pace and paused when the wind brought to his attention a faint smell of blood.

He stopped long enough to establish that the blood was actually the scent of two different creatures, one youkai and the other human. He inhaled one more time to make sure that the scent was not of his charges. He was about to continue on his way, when he realized that he knew the scent of the human whose blood was in the air.

'That scent is from one of Inu Yasha's party. It's the demonslayer.' Sesshomaru thought to himself. 'She is alone. Where is my hanyou brother and the rest of those in his group?' He started to walk towards the scent, slightly intrigued by his revelation. The smell of the inferior creature did not concern him as it held the scent of death and decay in it. From the overlapping smells, he knew the demonslayer had killed the demon and that she had become wounded in the battle. As he drew closer to the battle scene, he could smell the rotten stench of poison that the beast had emitted in the attack.

Sesshomaru walked into the clearing where the body of the demon lay. He surveyed the area looking for the woman. He eyes read the events that unfolded from the scene before him. Catching her scent on the wind, he began walking in the direction of the stream.

Sesshomaru moved from the path, walking an adjacent course to the one Sango had taken. He saw movement in the stream and stopped. He tensed up and became battle ready; he recalled that the woman was an adept fighter, although no match for one such as him. He moved silently behind a group of trees near the stream and surveyed the area. He noticed clothing on the ground and the stench of blood and poison emanating from them. Movement from the corner of his eye caused him to shift his gaze toward the stream.

End of Chapter Two.


	3. Chapter 3

Revised – August 12, 2006

**Chapter Three – At The Stream …**

Sango reclined in the water allowing the water to soothe her aching spirits. She closed her eyes and half-heartedly wished that she would never open them again. She remained in that position for several minutes before common sense and an inborn sense of self-preservation made her open her eyes again. The water was cold and she had begun to freeze in her self-pity. She did not notice that Sesshomaru had arrived and was now watching her.

"What am I doing!" She said loudly through clenching teeth as she rubbed her arms trying to smooth the hairs on her skin. Sango proceeded to rise out of the water and wade back to her ruined fighting outfit and the bundle of spare clothing and emergency supplies that she had always carried.

Sesshomaru arched one brow as he watched a naked Sango rise like a goddess from the stream. He remained motionless. She walked strong and proud unaware that he watched her every movement. His eyes roamed over her body and noticed the burn on her thigh. He could tell that the wound was already becoming infected from the poison that the demon produced.

'She will be feverish before long.' He thought. He shifted his vision to survey the area for any sign of her group although he knew from his keen sense of smell that they were not in the area. 'Inuyasha and the Tetsusaiga are nowhere in the vicinity.' His eyes shifted back to the injured woman at the brook. He felt a small odd feeling of worry, and scoffed at himself. "Ridiculous." He murmured to himself and began silently backing away from the scene. 'There was no point in confronting this woman. She will probably be dead before long. Humans were inferior and weak to simple infections.' He thought and turned away.

Sango stiffened. She was in the process of applying ointment that Kagome had brought back with her from her time and was still in a state of undress when she sensed that something was not right. She held her breath and listened. Sango sensed a presence within the trees by the stream. Without thinking, she reached down and grabbed a rock that had been on the ground near her feet and hurled it as hard as she could in the direction that she sensed this presence.

There was a clearly audible sound of the rock hitting flesh.

Sango's eyes went wide in surprise as her brain register the sound. She frowned as she thought that she had caught a glimpse of startling white hair and then nothing. 'Were her eyes playing tricks on her?' She thought.

"Inuyasha?" She whispered and covered herself with her arms as best she could. She did not know what to make of what she thought she saw. "No, it couldn't be. Kagome would have been here if it had been. HE would have been here if that had been Inu Yasha in the trees." She felt her blood run cold at the mere thought of Miroku being in the area.

Sango rushed to the spot that she had left her belongings, keeping a watchful eye on the stand of trees where she had seen, something. Sango quickly dressed the wound and then put on her traveling kimono. A confused and worried expression was clearly visible on her face.

'What was that? WHO was that?' She thought to herself. She examined her fighting outfit being careful not to touch any of the acid that remained on the material. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to find my village after all. I won't be able to fight in this again." The venom had continued to burn through the garment. The demonslayer clothing was now in tatters.

Sesshomaru was literally stunned. He had not expected Sango to react to his presence. After all, she was a mere human. He rubbed his shoulder, which was the area the rock made contact. It stung. That had also surprised him. She was stronger that she looked. The human woman would require further studying, if she survived.

He walked back towards the direction that he had parted ways with Rin. She would be expecting him by now. As he walked, he looked inward to himself examining the events that had occurred. He had not expected to feel any reaction except contempt towards humans, with the exception of his innocent and pure Rin; however, Sango had produced a reaction from him, and that in its self caused him to feel something he was uncomfortable with …

Surprise.

End of Chapter Three.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, here's the other side of the equation ... You didn't think I'd forget about them ...

Did you?

A/N - I don't own Inuyasha ... or any character from Inuyasha.

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Chapter Four – You Have Some Explaining To Do**

Kagome watched her friend leave without much of an explanation. She could see the pain in her friend's eyes. 'What happened Sango?' Kagome wondered taking a couple of steps towards the direction that Sango had run off. Sango ran like she was being chased by a demon horde. She didn't even wait for Kirara. That worried Kagome even more.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. "INUYASHA!" She repeated, when there was no immediate response. 'Where is he? Where's Miroku?' Worry ran rampant in her mind. Kagome broke into a run towards Kaede's hut.

"Inu…" Kagome started to scream.

"I'm right here, sheesh. Can't anyone get any sleep around here?" Inuyasha grumbled as he jumped to the ground from his tree top highway. "Are we ready to continue our search for Naraku and the remaining shards of the Shikon jewel yet?"

"Kagome! What's wrong!" Shippo said as he came running to Kagome as fast as his little legs could take him. He jumped toward Kagome for her to hold him.

"Inuyasha where's Miroku?" Kagome said. "Sango just ran off. She said that she was going back to her village. I think that something bad just happened to Sango. She left without Kirara." Her eyes showed her concern clearly.

"What did she say to you?" Inuyasha asked in a gruff voice.

"That's just it, when she came back from the village she didn't say anything to me except to back off and leave her alone. Then she just ran off." Kagome said.

"It can't be too serious, or else she would have taken Kirara." Inuyasha reasoned with Kagome.

Shippo looked up at Kagome with a worried expression. He didn't want Kagome to feel this way but he didn't know what to say.

"Where's Miroku?" Kagome questioned, a sinking suspicion evaded her body starting at the pit of her stomach.

"Oh, him? He's probably in the village asking some young woman to have his baby." Inuyasha stated bluntly.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, comprehension on her face.

"Hey! Why are you looking at me like that?" He said getting chills up his spine from her expression. "All I said …"

"Inuyasha …" Kagome said in a voice that he had never heard her use before. "I think Sango found Miroku with another woman."

It was at that moment in which Miroku came running towards them.

"Did one of you happen to meet up with Sango?" He asked breathlessly. He had his kimono arranged poorly as if he had been in a hurry to put it on. That was all the proof Kagome needed. Inuyasha looked at Miroku with disgust.

"Why? What happened Miroku?" Inuyasha asked with one eyebrow raised.

Miroku put his head down. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to. Kagome and Inuyasha could read it plainly from his face. "A man has needs …" Miroku attempted to explain.

"What exactly did Sango see you do, Miroku?" Kagome asked in the same voice that had given Inuyasha the chills.

Miroku's explanation froze on his lips. 'What could I say to them?' He thought.

Kagome continued to look at Miroku with blazing anger. "Well, Miroku?" She said her voice growing harder.

Miroku suddenly became indignant. "I don't need to explain anything to you. I am a man, after all. A single man." He said.

"Really." Kagome said in a deadpan voice.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and shivered. 'I almost feel sorry for the guy.' He thought to himself.

"Miroku, because of you Sango left. Judging by the amount of pain in her eyes and voice, I think Sango saw something that was unforgivable." Kagome stated. She turned away from Miroku and walked towards Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, as soon as Kirara is able to, we need to find Sango. She shouldn't be out there alone like this."

"Sango's a grown woman. Plus, she's a demonslayer. What could happen?" Inuyasha said and then realized that it was exactly the wrong thing to say to the already irate Kagome. He tensed up knowing what was about to happen.

"Inuyasha …" Kagome began.

"Kagome …!" Inuyasha started to beg.

"SIT!" She shouted.

Inuyasha hit the ground with a reverberating thud. The force in which Kagome commanded the order was so intense that it was a while before Inuyasha could crawl out of the deep hole. Kagome was gone, so was Shippo, who normally enjoyed taunting Inuyasha at these moments. Miroku was still there, leaning against a tree lost in thought.

"What have I done." Miroku murmured to himself.

Inuyasha bounded to where Miroku was. "Idiot! I'll tell ya what you've done, you moron! You just lost the best thing in your life, that's what you've done. Couldn't you have show more control, or at least have been more discrete?" Inuyasha demanded.

"You're one to talk, Inuyasha. You can't even make up your mind regarding which woman you want to spend the rest of your life with. Don't preach to me about morals." Miroku interjected, angrily.

"Ya, well, at least I'm not a pervert willing to sleep with any female around!" Inuyasha retorted haughtily. "Unlike you." He added.

"What's done, is done. Now, we have to find Sango." Kagome stated coming towards the two males. She pointedly ignored Miroku and turned her full attention towards Inuyasha. "I've asked Shippo to stay here with Kirara. We need to go, NOW." She was carrying her backpack. "In Sango's frame of mind, who knows what could happen to her. She's not herself right now, thanks to a certain someone."

Miroku visibly tensed wanting to say something but remained quiet.

End of Chapter Four.

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Sorry if this seems a little short ... Lately things around here have gotten really, really hectic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – Encounters**

Sesshomaru arrived at the last spot that he had parted with Rin. The demonslayer had been on his mind the entire time. He wasn't accustomed to having his thoughts run rampant with the images of a lowly human and it disconcerted him. 'Him, the Great Lord of the Western Lands caught up in thoughts of a human female?' The thought repulsed Sesshomaru; however, the images of Sango still flashed through his mind. He finally turned his attention to his surroundings and noticed that Rin was nowhere to be found, nor was Jaken or Ah-Un. He located their scent and walked into the forest retracing their path.

* * *

Sango had decided to follow the stream down the current. She surmised that where there was water there would be villages, people; living by the water. Water was the blood of life, without water there could be no life. She walked carefully for hours in the direction she had chosen being careful not to overexert her wound. She began to feel warm, almost groggy and had to take a break. The wound that she had received was pulsating in rhythm with her heartbeat and she could feel heat rising off it. She looked at the sun and noted that the sun was close to the horizon. Night would be upon her soon. With night came the more depraved and evil of the demons. She lived and survived in an era of death and destruction and had been one of the best in her village at slaying demons; however, she knew that something was not right with her. It was not a good idea to be alone at night in an unknown forest in this condition. That would only invite trouble. Sango sighed, understanding her plight. She quickly surveyed the area before her and the sky that was visible through the trees for any sign of habitation. There was none.

* * *

Sesshomaru arrived at the place where he last scented his wards. It was beside the brook that he had been at earlier in the day. This spot was far up the stream from where he had encountered the demonslayer. He inhaled the air, testing it once again for any sign of his wards; there was none. The wind's direction was blowing downstream, taking with it any scent of his retainer, his ward and their companion. Only the smell of the water bubbling beside him reached his keen nose. He looked down toward the ground for the footsteps of his group and gathered that they had entered the water.

'Rin must have wanted to fish.' Sesshomaru thought to himself. He began to walk downstream noting the smallest bits of evidence that Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un had taken this path.

He walked surefooted beside the body of water pausing every now and then as he spotted signs of his group. He came upon the site where he had seen the demonslayer. He stopped and surveyed the area, all thoughts of his wards disappearing as unbidden images of Sango evaded his mind.

'What is this?' He scoffed at himself, in an attempt to rid himself of the annoying memories. He scowled and closed his eyes, a slight ache throbbing in the center of his forehead. Inhaling deeply, he forced his mind back to his companions and their whereabouts. The ache subsided. With eyes closed, he caught the slightest hint of Rin on the breeze as it shifted directions for a moment. He opened his eyes, looked to the direction of the scent, and began walking.

* * *

Sango had made camp beside a large bolder near the stream. She was in the process of cooking fish that she had caught from the stream over the fire that she had made. 'Making a fire is a lot harder than I remember.' She thought as sweat began to appear on her skin. 'The next time I see Kagome, I'll have to remember to ask her to bring me one of those "Matchbox" things that she uses to make a fire so quickly.' She reached to grab a piece of wood to throw onto the fire and paused in her actions. Sadness filled her heart at the thoughts of her friends, especially of Miroku and the treachery that had brought her to this location, alone. She dropped the wood onto the fire. The fire eagerly accepted the wood with a burst of sparks. She repositioned the fish to ensure that the fish cooked evenly. Sango held herself at the knees, resting her chin on her arms. She gazed into the fire in a silent plea for the fire to erase those memories that haunted her. Tears flickered in her eyes but remained there. Sango felt unwell, Sluggish. She knew that some of the poison from the demon that she had fought had entered her system. She had gather herbs while she had been locating a place to camp and had used them. She knew from experience that the plants that she had used were effective for most poisons; however, they were slow to work and she knew that she was in for a rough night.

Sango was feeling lethargic and did not realize that something was bumbling towards her cursing in a loud annoying voice.

"Rin! Wait up! Blast that girl! Rin!" The owner of the voice screeched. Sango looked up from her daze.

Suddenly, a young girl burst out of the bushes leading a two headed beast by it's reins. Sango found movement nearly impossible, she could only sit there and watch the young girl move towards Sango. Sango's eyes lit up briefly, as she recognized the little girl. 'I think that girls name is Rin.' She thought as she struggled to stand up and greet the small intruder.

"Oh … Hello." The little girl said shyly. There was a small hint of fear in her eyes.

"Hello." Sango responded tiredly. 'It took so much energy just to stand.' She thought. 'Why is she walking in the forest this late at night?'

"I saw your fire and thought you were someone else." The little girl named Rin said. "We'll be going now." She said. Rin took a couple of unsure steps backward.

Sango looked at the girl. She could see fear in the young girl's eyes. She didn't want the girl to leave knowing the dangers out in the darkness. Worry and fever creased Sango's forehead. "Your name is Rin, right?" Sango said to the little girl still looking at her.

"Umm … Yeah … Why?" The little girl inquired in a quite voice.

"Are you hungry?" Sango said to Rin. 'I can't stand up for much longer. If she leaves, I won't be able to stop her.' Sango thought to herself.

Rin's face lit up but she kept her distance. "Why?" She inquired. Her gaze shifted to the fish cooking beside the fire and her stomach grumbled. Rin quickly looked away as her face turned a beet red.

In the darkness, the noise continued as the unknown voice continued it's screeching. Rin ignored the sounds and took a step towards Sango. "Why are you being so nice?" Rin said. "I can take care of myself." She said as a defiant look appeared on her face.

Sango sighed. "I've lost my appetite. It would be a shame to have to throw this food away, uneaten." She said trying to keep pain out of her voice. "It's fine if you don't want it." She felt so tired.

Sango felt the world slipping right out from under her feet. Her vision became blurry. She started to lose consciousness and collapsed right in front of Rin. One of the last things she saw was Rin running towards her.

Rin ran towards the woman. She could see that the woman had not been well, when the woman had collapsed Rin didn't even think about consequences. As she bent down to look at the stranger's pale sweat coated face, she realized that she knew this woman. Rin recalled that the woman usually traveled with Lord Sesshomaru's half brother's group. 'She looks like Kohaku.' She pondered as she gently moved a moist tendril of hair to examine the woman's face better. She remembered that there had been times when she had been in her company. 'This woman had always been nice to me.' Rin thought to herself. She grabbed the woman's hands and attempted to drag the woman back towards the fire. 'Ugh … she's heavy. I need help. Lord Sesshomaru, where are you?' Rin struggled with an unconscious Sango.

Rin had moved Sango a few inches closer to the fire when Jaken finally appeared from the darkness. He was cover in leaves, dirt and tree branches. He did not look happy as he stomped towards Rin. "Now see here …" He angrily began and stopped when he realized that Rin was not paying attention to him. "Rin! What are you doing with that human female! Get away from her." Jaken screeched. "Ohhh! Just wait until Lord Sesshomaru hears about this!" Jaken threatened Rin.

Rin looked at Jaken and then turned away, ignoring him. Her face lit up when she remembered Ah-Un. "Ah-Un, you'll help me won't you?" She implored the beast grabbing it's reins and leading it to where Sango lay. Rin tied the reins to Sango's hands as best she could hoping that she wasn't hurting Sango. Rin coaxed the beast towards the fire, dragging Sango along. She made Ah-Un stop when she felt that Sango was close enough to the fire to be warm but not too close to be burned by any stray embers. Rin untied the reins from Sango's hands and walked over to Ah-Un. She hugged the large beast, thanking it, and reached into a bag tied to the beast. She pulled out a tattered old blanket. Rin walked over to Sango and covered Sango with the blanket.

Jaken gaped at the audacity of the young girl. He stood there and watched while Rin proceeded to unpack her things and set camp. Rin looked over towards Jaken, "Well, don't just stand there or you're gonna freeze." She said to him.

Jaken humphed and turned his back to her. "You don't honestly expect me to share that woman's fire do you?" He said. "I'm a demon. I have no need of such 'human' comforts." He said scornfully. Jaken walked stiff legged to a nearby tree trunk and then plopped beside it. He leaned on the trunk and shut his eyes. "Besides, I can feel the heat from over here just fine." He said quietly to himself.

"I heard that!" Rin called out and giggled.

"Ohh … that wretched girl!" Jaken said keeping his eyes closed. "I don't care." He said loudly for the girl to hear. He continued muttering under his breath and then went silent.

Rin sat down beside the fire and grabbed the fish. The fish was a little more cooked than she normally ate. "Well, I just can't let food go to waste." She said to herself and bit into the first fish. She closed her eyes in enjoyment. 'This tastes like something my mommy used to make.' Rin thought to herself marveling at the memory that the herbs Sango used on the fish had brought on.

It had been a long time since Rin last thought of her mother. Lately the only person she had reason to think about had been Lord Sesshomaru. Rin tried to recall what her mother looked like and how her voice sounded. It seemed like another lifetime ago when she last saw or heard her mother's voice. Rin sighed in sad disappointment when she could not recall either. The only memories she now recalled were of horrifying screams and darkness on the night her family was murdered. She shivered with the memories and looked over at Sango who was still unconscious. Rin continued to eat the fish in silence. She soon heard nasally snoring coming from the direction of Jaken.

"Lord Sesshomaru, where are you right now?" Rin questioned and looked up at the star filled sky. The moon had just started it's cycle and only the slightest sliver could be seen in the night sky.

Rin finished the food and stood up to bury the remains of her meal away from the campsite. She walked away from the fire's heat, into the darkness. Rin proceeded to dig a hole into the ground close to the brook, and deposited the fish bones into the hole. She covered the hole in with the unearthed dirt and then turned around to return.

She was shivering by the time she came back to the warmth and safety of the fire. She found the wood that Sango had gathered for the fire and picked up several of the smaller more manageable pieces. Rin threw those onto the fire. She cringed when the fire roared to life and produced loud popping and crackling sounds because one of the logs had been wet. Rin sat down shyly beside the sleeping Sango. She searched Sango's face to see if Sango was about to wake up from the sounds of the fire. Sango remained impassive to Rin's intense gaze. Rin visibly relaxed and gently snuggled up to Sango. She soon fell into a deep relaxed sleep. A sleep that she had not had since the night her family was murdered. Instinctively, Sango moved and covered Rin with her arm, as she was accustomed to do with Kirara, and pulled Rin close for additional warm and comfort. Rin remained asleep and a small smile of happiness crept onto her face. They remained like this for hours.

Sesshomaru walked into the makeshift camp and surveyed the scene before him. The campfire had burned itself into embers and was barely giving off heat. Jaken still slept huddled up to his trunk snoring and shivering at the same time. Sesshomaru's eyes settled onto the soundly sleeping Rin nestled up to a fevered and unconscious Sango. 'She's still alive; however, she is not well, so that may change with the new day.' He surmised as the scent of the wound on Sango's leg caught his nose. He absently crinkled his nose as the scent revolted him. 'How did she walk this far with that vile demon's venom coursing through her system?' He thought to himself. Visions of Sango coming out of the water flashed in his head. He was about to walk away disgusted with his inability to control his thoughts, when Rin's sleeping expression caused him to pause. He stepped silently closer, ignoring the stench of Sango's wound and examined Rin with intense scrutiny. Most creatures would have withered in fright had Sesshomaru looked at them with such attentiveness. Rin continued sleeping with the same look of contentment that had caught Sesshomaru's eyes. He looked at the sleeping females for what felt to him like an eternity and wondered how the sights before him came to be.

He inhaled the air making sure that there were no other demons or humans in the vicinity. Satisfied, he turned away and walked back into the forest. He sat down beside a tree near the camp and closed his eyes leaning into the sturdy trunk. He allowed himself a small nap, keeping his senses attuned to the surrounding environment.

He woke a couple of hours later to the sounds of Jaken screeching at the top of his lungs. Jaken had woken up and discovered the females still sleeping, snuggled up to each other for comfort and he had been in the process of berating a sleeping Rin.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru said. Although spoken softly, there was no mistake in the force behind the one word.

"Eep!" Jaken jumped and grew pale when he heard Sesshomaru. He ran humbly towards the source of the voice. "Lord Sesshomaru, I could not stop the wretched girl. Please don't hurt me." He sniveled.

"Silence." Sesshomaru said and proceeded to rub his forehead. The area around the crescent moon throbbed.

Jaken bowed down humbly to Sesshomaru. "Forgive me, my Lord." He said and went silent.

Rin started to wake up. She felt something heavy around her and for a moment forgot where she was. For a brief second, she thought that she was sleeping in her mother's arms. She snuggled closer to Sango and then realized that she was sleeping on hard cold ground. She opened her eyes and looked down towards Sango's arm across her. She shot up and scurried away from Sango, looking at Sango with a glare of shock. It took her a moment to remember what had happened.

"Rin." Sesshomaru called. He was still sitting at his tree.

Rin jumped up, a smile lighting up her face. "Lord Sesshomaru, you're here!" She said running towards him. She stopped a couple of feet from him when she noticed the expression on his face. "Lord Sesshomaru?" She asked.

"What is that woman doing here?" He questioned, never looking at Rin. His expression was serious, to the point of looking almost angry. It did not betray the whirling confusion that he had begun to experience. 'It was almost as if he, the Great Lord of the Western Lands had begun to develop emotions towards the demonslayer.' He inwardly scoffed at the notion. His forehead had begun to hurt since that moment when he gazed at the damnable female now in Rin's company, emerging from the stream. He reached up to massage the area where the crescent moon that was on his brow was located.

Rin's smile quivered slightly as she looked down toward the ground. There were times that she felt that she could almost read Sesshomaru's slight expressions; however, now was not one of those times. She did not know what to make of Sesshomaru's intensely stoic face. To her, it seemed that he was trying to be more cold and distant than normal. In her childish curiosity, she wanted to know why and she was determined to find out.

End of Chapter Five.

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Sorry this took so long to get up. Things are really, really crazy around here though. I apologize for any errors.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – The New Moon.**

Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku went into the forest following the direction that Sango had taken. For an entire day, the trio remained silent. Not one syllable was spoken. Inuyasha darted from spot to spot sniffing the air for signs of Sango. Occasionally, he would pause just long enough to give Miroku a dirty look.

'If it wasn't for that monk, we might have been searching for the damn jewel shards by now.' Inuyasha thought to himself as he glanced at Miroku.

Miroku pretended to ignore Inuyasha's glares of ire. It was almost easy to do that. What he found hard to do was ignore Kagome's frostily intense silence. She would not look at Miroku. Instead, she pointedly looked straight ahead or in a direction other than look anywhere near Miroku. Miroku inwardly sighed. 'I wish I could tell them the real reason why.' He thought to himself.

When they settled down for the night, Miroku distanced himself from Kagome and Inuyasha. Their silence made him feel worse than he already felt to begin with. He had never wanted to hurt Sango, however; he knew that Sango would never bear his child while Naraku still breathed. She had a mission, and she was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish her task. Even die if she had to. He knew this, understood her reasoning, and accepted it without question. It meant that they could not be together in all the ways that both of them truly wanted.

Recently Miroku had felt his wind tunnel growing substantially larger. He did not want anyone to know this, so he had remained silent and resumed his old ways. He felt that he did not have much more time in this world. He honestly wondered if he would be still alive when Naraku was finally defeated. Miroku sighed and gazed out into the darkness, his heart overflowing with remorse, sadness and anger. Remorse over his actions, sadness for what could have been and could never be, and anger that he would never be the man that Sango needed. No matter how badly he wanted to be that man, because of Naraku's curse.

"So, the creep does have a conscious." Kagome said loudly to Inuyasha, loud enough for Miroku to hear clearly. That had been her intention. She had heard Miroku sigh. Kagome was churning inside with anger and pain for her friend. She refused to consider the feeling of Miroku. She wanted to find her friend quickly. She was quite willing to abandon Miroku to do it if she had to. After all, he was the reason Sango ran away in the first place. The only real reason why she wanted Miroku to come with them was that she wanted Miroku to see the pain that he had caused Sango, once they found her that is, and never forget what he had done to her. In addition, she wanted to avenge Sango in the only way that Kagome knew, and that was by making Miroku as miserable as possible. After that, she did not care what Miroku chose to do, as long as it was away from Kagome. Far, far away.

"I can't take it!" Inuyasha grumbled breaking the silence. "Kagome, just how long are you going to ignore Miroku? You know, if you didn't want to be around Miroku, it would have been easier to have just left him behind." He stated looking in the direction of Miroku. He almost felt sorry for the monk. Kagome's silence was almost as bad as her 'sit' commands. He shuddered, remembering the most recent.

Kagome glared silently at Inuyasha. He jumped back scared. 'I think Kagome's stare is actually worse that her sit commands.' He thought to himself and his whole body underwent a massive shiver. He shuffled closer to the fire in an attempt to move away from Kagome's attention. It worked. Kagome shifted her gaze to the fire. Her thoughts remained hidden from Inuyasha.

The three remained lost in their own private thoughts as the sat in their respective positions throughout the campsite. Inuyasha moved without a word into a nearby tree and perched himself there, getting into a comfortable position suited for long hours of motionless guarding. Inuyasha remained the sentinel for most of the night. Near dawn, Kagome woke and went to Inuyasha. She stood quietly beside the tree that held the dog demon and then looked in the direction of the slumbering monk. Her eyes filled with a knowing sadness. Inuyasha looked at Kagome and wanted to ask her why she looked the way she did; however, Kagome gave herself a little shake and turned to Inuyasha with a small tired smile.

"Inuyasha, you should try to get some sleep. I'll stay up and call you if I need you." Kagome said.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome for a long time. The expression that Kagome wore bugged him. He wanted to demand what happened to give Kagome the aura of saddened wisdom. Something held him back. Deep down he knew it was because of his relationship with Kikyou that had enlightened Kagome. He choose instead, to ignore her expression. "You know that I don't need to sleep as often as you do." He retorted and yawned. His face went slightly red, bringing a genuine smile to Kagome's face.

"Oh, really?" Kagome said watching Inuyasha redden face. "What was that? The yawn of alertness?" She responded, giggling softly.

Inuyasha smiled, relieved. 'At least she still finds humor, even if it is at my expense.' On a spur of the moment, Inuyasha dropped down from the tree, and stood before Kagome. He reached out for her and pulled her close to his heart, embracing her. He rested his chin softly on the top of her head and waited for her to relax. His action was unexpected and had shocked her. "Kagome, I'm sorry." He said. He wanted Kagome to know that he did care for her, even if he could not verbalize the words. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, expecting to experience the intricate richness of Kagome's scent. Instead, he found that the scent had greatly diminished. Alarmed, he pushed Kagome away and looked at the sky, his eyes searching for the moon.

"Shit!" Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome had been angry with Inuyasha for breaking away from a precious moment. Those moments were rare and she had been enjoying it to the fullest. She looked into his face about to say something harsh about his choice of words when she noticed his expression filling with dread. Comprehension came to her and her head shot up, her vision followed Inuyasha's line of view. The moon was barely visible. The new moon was almost upon them. She gasped softly and turned her attention back to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha noticed Kagome watching him. She was waiting for him to speak. He looked down and swore softly under his breath. Soon he would be of no use to Kagome's quest to find Sango.

End of Chapter Six

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I apologize for the shortness of the chapter or any type-o's that have slipped by me. It might be awile before I can get the next chapter up. Don't give up on me. Thank you everyone who has read my words, it means ALOT to me! 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – Waiting …**

Sango hurt. She felt as thought every fiber in her body was on fire. She was so tired, very tired. She concentrated on her breathing, laborious and shallow. One breathe, two, three, four, on and on. Her breathing was the one thing that Sango could depend on at that point. The only aspect that she was aware of regarding the outside world was of the cold hard rocky ground on which she found herself. She could feel one rock in particular, digging into her ribs. She wanted to move; however, she found that she did not have the energy to do so. She managed to utter a sound, so slight that no human ear would ever be able to hear. Sango became delirious, her mind taking her back to various scenes in her recent past, both pleasant and horrid. As her delirium intensified, her visions became darker and darker. She felt herself becoming lost and there was nothing that Sango, the mighty demonslayer could do about it, as the poison ran its course within her bloodstream.

Sesshomaru observed Sango. He could see the slight changes in her vital signs as the poisoning progressed. The smell wafting from the wound remained unchanged. 'That at least is a positive sign.' Sesshomaru thought to himself. He heard Sango's near-subsonic exclamation and he had a disconcerting urge to reach for her, to comfort her. He shuddered slightly. The only indication of his action was of his hair shifting position somewhat as it ran down his back. He turned his head and absently looked toward the brook. He effortlessly stood up from the sitting position that he had remained in throughout the night. He turned to leave the encampment and paused, something held him back. His forehead hurt, it was an experience he, Lord Sesshomaru, was not accustomed to. He knew that somehow it was the damn female lying unconscious on the ground causing the discomfort. Instead of killing her, like he had done thousands of times when faced with bothersome insignificant humans, his curiosity had taken hold. He, Sesshomaru wanted to know why and how she was able to cause this physical reaction in him and why he had not ended her life yet. He sensed no priestess abilities, even if those abilities were latent, he should still be able to sense them. There was no demon blood pulsing weakly in the woman's veins. As far as he could tell with his superior abilities, the woman was an ordinary human female, and a very sick one at that.

Rin had been holding herself back. She felt a tension in the air hanging over Sango. She looked towards Lord Sesshomaru and wanted to run over to him and embrace him. She did not know why she felt like that. Lord Sesshomaru looked uncomfortable, gracefully standing there. There was a difference to him, Rin could tell, although she could not place her finger on it. She shifted her gaze toward Jaken and observed him silently, subconsciously emulating the most important person in her life.

Jaken sat apart from them sulking. He wanted nothing to do with the human woman and he wanted to be far away, as far as his stubby little legs would get him. There was something in the air, and it made him intensely uncomfortable. He did not like how Lord Sesshomaru looked at the human woman. It wasn't really a look, because Lord Sesshomaru did not look or act any different from his usual cold self, it was something else. Jaken knew that Lord Sesshomaru thought humans as weak pathetic insects; he himself had heard Lord Sesshomaru state those words many times over the years. Even though Lord Sesshomaru had taken on the human child Rin, he still felt as though his Lord was still the same human distaining elusive master that Jaken adored and followed. He glanced briefly at Sango, hatred burning in his eyes. He made a decision that he would rid his lord of this annoying unconscious human woman. Then, they could continue as they had, before stumbling into her camp. He did not notice Rin watching him silently.

Rin let out a soft gasp when she saw the look of malice Jaken had made when he had looked at Sango. Her stomach tightened as fear crept over her. She felt protective of Sango and did not want Sango to be hurt anymore than she already was. Rin felt anxious for Sango, she worried about Sango's inability to wake up. She slowly and quietly inched her way closer towards Sango. She wanted to be close to the ailing woman in case she woke up and needed anything. After all, she did offer Rin her food and fire.

Sesshomaru had his back towards Jaken and did not see the stare that Jaken had given Sango. He did feel the malice that Jaken radiated and felt the odd urge to strike his servant for exhibiting such an emotion. Sesshomaru noticed Rin moving towards Sango. He did not move or blink an eyelid. He knew Rin enough to know that she had developed protective feelings towards the other female, so, he allowed Rin her inferior human emotional attachment.

Sango began to convulse. She withered for a minute and then her body went stiff. Just as suddenly, she became limp. Her eyes opened, unseeing. She turned her head and seemed to look directly towards Sesshomaru. Her breathing was labored and shallow. Sango seemed to look right through Sesshomaru, down into his soul where he allowed no one the opportunity to perceive.

Sesshomaru's eyes widen slightly in shock. He had not expected to feel so, exposed. No one ever had the ability or the audacity that this one insignificant human female seemed to possess. He narrowed his eyes and observed Sango more closely. 'This woman, there is more to her than I thought. She warrants further study.' He thought to himself.

Jaken watched Sesshomaru jealously. He almost crowed in joy when he misinterpreted his master's intense expression toward Sango. 'At last, my Lord is going to be done with that irrelevant creature!' Jaken all but danced in his sadistic glee. His breath quickened in excitement.

"Jaken." Sesshomaru spoke, not breaking his gaze from studying Sango. "Rin will need to eat soon." He stated.

Jaken's jaw dropped. He was dumfounded. 'What is he doing?' He thought. An evil idea popped into his head. 'Aha! I get it! He doesn't want Rin to see him dispose of the woman. I don't see why he should bother with that girl, she's nothing but a hassle anyway. It would do us some good to let her know how dispensable she really is.' He smiled in glee as he stood up from where he had been sitting and sulking. "Rin, follow me." He demanded.

Rin held back. She still vividly recalled the evil look that he had given Sango. She did not want to go with him. She looked up at Lord Sesshomaru for guidance. She silently pleaded with Lord Sesshomaru with her eyes.

Sesshomaru ignored Rin's wordless plea. "Rin, go with Jaken."

Rin looked down and slowly stood up. "Okay, Lord Sesshomaru." She started walking towards Jaken, "Please, my Lord, take care of her." She said in a soft voice. Sesshomaru stood expressionless as Rin walked slowly behind Jaken. She stopped and suddenly ran to Ah-Un. She grabbed it's reins, leading the creature. She felt a bit safer with the beast accompanying them. 'Ah-Un wouldn't let anything happen to me.' She thought.

Sesshomaru listened as his charges move father and father away. When he could no longer hear them, he moved. He took a silent step towards Sango; she had slipped into unconsciousness while he had ordered his charges to leave. She was pale; sweat plastered her hair to her face. Her breathing was shallow, but regular. Every now and then, her brow would furrow and her body would attempt to convulse weakly. Sesshomaru stood above her and watched. His cold amber eyes watched every detail. Nothing passed his gaze.

Sango felt trapped within a dark morbid place. She felt weak, as though her limbs had been tied down. She tried to look down, to see what held her and she found that she could not move her head. Her eyes felt heavy. She wanted to sleep. Something deep inside told her that she could not allow herself this. If she slept, she would never wake up. She felt as though someone was watching her. Sango attempted to look into the darkness to see if she could locate the presence. The presence felt cold, but non-threatening. She concentrated on identifying the aura. It felt like an eternity as she focused all of her energy on that on factor.

As she concentrated, she determined that the unseen presence was decidedly yokai, and a powerful one at that. Something about the aura made her think of Inuyasha. Thinking about the half demon made her thoughts turn towards memories of Miroku. Her heart hurt. She groaned in anguish. 'No. I do not want these thoughts in my head!' She screamed silently.

Sesshomaru watched as Sango's thoughts turned towards Miroku. Her body tensed and she started withering in silent pain. Sesshomaru could hear her heart quicken, he could smell her adrenalin increase with each passing moment. Inhaling deeply, he could tell that her body was slowly working the poison from her system. The wound was getting better. Her reactions perplexed him. 'She should be conscious.' He thought. Sesshomaru eventually sat down and leaned against a tree that grew near the camp. He was close enough to Sango to observe her actions, his hand unconsciously rested upon the pummel of his Tenseiga.

The hours passed quietly. He never took his eyes off Sango. Her physical responses intrigued him. He could tell that she was physically getting better. The poison was almost out of her system, yet she did not wake. She seemed to be in mortal pain, and there was no tangible reason for it, as far as Sesshomaru could surmise. 'Humans, such weak creatures.' He thought and then, closed his eyes.

End of Chapter Seven.

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A/N - Sorry if this seems like a filler chapter. It didn't turn out exactlyhow I had wanted it to. Thank you everyone for reading! An extra special THANK YOU going out to those who have reviewed!

I'll try not to take so long getting the next chapter up.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N - Sorry, this took me so long. Life had gotten really, really interesting since my last update. (Interesting is putting it mildly!) Hopefully, I can get back on track and start to update on a regular basis again.

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Chapter Eight – Into the Darkness …

Sango felt tired, very tired. She fought to free herself of the invisible chains that held her immobile. She screamed in frustration and the sound that came from her throat came out subdued. She tried to shut her mind from the memories that flooded her senses and found that she could not do so. Sango paused, and took a deep breath, she knew that what was before her was not real, yet the pain that the images brought out, was; and it was intense pain. Her chest felt constricted, as though chains weighing hundreds of pounds had bound her tightly. She could feel tears sliding down her face and upon reflection, realized that she should not have been able to feel anything. 'How could she feel her tears if she was in fact locked in a dream?' For half a second, she thought that maybe this could be a trap set by Naraku. As soon as she thought that, images of the heinous vile monstrosity came into play in her mind. Memories of battles with him flooded her abused mind. Instead of cringing with fear or pain, she found strength that she did not think she had left as the memories flashed by her. She felt adrenaline surging through her. The memories of Naraku made her feel hatred. Moreover, that hatred made her feel alive. By some unknown will of strength, she fought against the invisible subconscious chains that had bound her. She wanted revenge. Revenge for her village, revenge for her father, revenge for her brother, and revenge for herself. Because as long as Naraku remained alive, she would live out her days, hunting him down to avenge those he had murdered and stolen from her. She lunged forward toward her visions, wanting to destroy any aspect of the evil monster even if it was only a memory. She reached for her Hiraikotsu, forgetting that she was only in a memory, so intense was her hatred toward the beast. Sango screamed in hatred-filled frustration, and it filled the void all around.

Sesshomaru seemed to be in a dark place. There was no up. There was no down. He could not tell how far the horizon was in any direction. He was in some type of 'void' as far as he could tell. He did not dream and if he did, he could not recall the last time. "Where am I?" he said to himself. The sound came out muted. He arched one eyebrow. "Interesting." He attempted to walk and found that action was fruitless, as he did not seem to move. 'Now, this is rather annoying.' He thought to himself. He seemed suspended in nothingness. He could not sense a malicious aura; instead, he felt a growing wave of emotion. An emotion he could not place his finger on; however, he knew that somehow, a long time ago, he knew this emotion at one time. "So, this is not Naraku's doing then." He stated as a fact to himself. It was at that moment that Sesshomaru heard a scream of rage somewhere in the darkness. The raw emotion that the sound carried quickened his pulse. He turned his head quickly to survey the surrounding area, realizing at the same moment of action, that what he was doing would be fruitless. However, he found himself being drawn towards the sound. Sesshomaru found himself mesmerized by the aura surrounding him. He did not think to prepare to defend himself, and he felt pressure building up towards him. He continued forward, as an unknown power propelled him toward the origin of the scream.

Sango continued to rage as she allowed her emotions to take control. She wanted to destroy Naraku. She wanted him dead, and she wanted to be the one to do it. Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Each drop, once freed, suspended motionless around her. As she allowed her emotions to control her, the tears began to glow with an eerie white light. Soon the air around her began to glow with a bluish tint. The teardrops acting like tiny white stars floating around her. Sango remained immune to the spectacle surrounding her as her fury intensified. She did not realize that the images that brought out her rage had faded.

Sesshomaru continued toward the sounds. As the screams grew louder, he began to see a faint pinpoint of light ahead of him. He could feel the emotion embedded within the sound, as it reacted like a physical force pushing against him, yet at the same time a force just a bit greater pushed him against the resistance. He felt the conflict, and his forehead began to pulse with a weird sensation. It was not painful, he noticed. It was a sensation that he, the Great Sesshomaru had never encountered. 'What is this power?' He thought and his expression hardened. "Sesshomaru is not a toy to be played with." He stated towards the unseen forces pushing against his body. He tensed, willing his body to overcome the pressures applied to his body. It was not uncomfortable, nor painful. He, Sesshomaru did not often experience pain, at least not in a conventional way. It took a lot of punishment to his body to get him to feel anything similar to pain. The most recent moment of pain, had been when his damnable half brother had severed his arm. Even then, most of the pain had been mental in nature, as his perfect body had been marred. He was in fact becoming displeased. He was not a being accustomed to being hurled around. He was the one who did the 'hurling', and it was usually lethal.

Sango paused in her outbreak of wrath. She had begun to feel another presence. It was faint, and somehow familiar, and it was coming steadily towards her. This surprised her. In all of her delirium memories not once did she feel a presence. 'Well, that's not entirely true.' She thought, remembering that for a moment she had felt that yokai presence that had reminded her of Inuyasha. 'Come to think of it, this power coming towards me feels like that same aura that I felt earlier.' It was then she noticed the tiny beads of light shining around her and the soft glow that she was also emitting. "Are these my tears?" She stated to herself softly and reached out to touch one. The tiny bead of moisture quivered as she touched it but the light it emitted did not fade. It now seemed to draw on it's own source of energy. The floating tears pulsed rhythmically, and as she watched mesmerized by the tiny delicate balls of light, she summarized that the tears were in fact pulsing in time with her own heart.

Sesshomaru felt Sango's presence and recognized it. 'So, it's the human female.' He thought and anger surged through him. His expression became dark and menacing. 'If this is her doing, she will pay.'

Sango felt Sesshomaru's swell of anger. Instinctively, she tensed becoming battle ready. She did not know the physical source of the rage coming towards her, yet she somehow knew it. She felt that she had come into contact with this other awareness. Her breathing quickened as a new wave of adrenalin washed over her, renewing her senses. She waited.

Sesshomaru continued to move towards Sango. He started to speed up, the light in front of him became brighter and it began to take on a bluish hue. He observed the illumination, watching it pulse. 'Like a heartbeat.' He thought. He noticed pinpoints of light scattered throughout the bluish haze brighter than the surrounding glow. They too, pulsed with the same rhythm. The pulsing intensified as he moved closer. 'As thought the source of the radiance knew he was coming. Interesting.' He thought. He turned his gaze towards the center of the light attempting to fathom the origin of the luminosity.

End of Chapter 8.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – In The Void …**

**A/N - I changed the ending of this chapter. I did not like how it was turning.**

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Sesshomaru's eyes widened when he perceived that at the center of the light was the woman, Sango. "So, she is miko after all." He stated as a matter of fact. "I could not sense her abilities, nor do I sense them now. What manner of power is this that she is capable of?" He pondered. Sesshomaru felt his anger grow. Within a moment, the pulsing increased even more, and so did his speed. Sesshomaru tensed, preparing to strike. His fingertips began to glow as he prepared to unleash his poison claw attack.

Sango could feel a presence filled with anger and the emotion was growing. With adrenalin swarming through her system, she freed herself of her mental bonds and spun around to face the disturbance head on. Her heart increased its cadence in anticipation of confrontation with the unknown entity. Her mind registered the synchronized increase of the glowing pulsating tears; however, she did not respond to the spectacle. Beyond the glow was an all encompassing darkness. She could not see the creature, yet, she knew that it was out there, somewhere and it was coming closer. Racing towards her with an increasing speed and it continued filling with rage. Sango inhaled jaggedly, and unconsciously clenched her jaw in determination. She would destroy whatever was out there.

Sesshomaru could smell the woman's scent. In the void where there were no other incidental scents to mingle with hers, it was intoxicating and his resolve to destroy Sango wavered. He closed his eyes and briefly savored Sango's personal fragrance. He had never encountered an aroma quite like hers, gently musky and spicy like pepper, yet it held sweetness. His eyes flew open and his rage returned. "A trap is it?" He surmised. "It won't work human wretch." A small cold smile appeared on his lips. Instead of softening his features, the expression made him look more frightening.

Within the darkness, Sango could see an outline take form. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to make out the form. The first thing that she saw was the hair, white as winter snow. Sango's heart skipped a beat, "Inuyasha? No, the aura isn't the same." She continued to stare at the figure coming towards her. She had let down her guard briefly when she had thought that Inuyasha had been coming towards her. She brought up her defenses once more. One more moment went by, and the figure came closer. She could now make out the face and her eyes widened in shock. "Sesshomaru." She said.

Sesshomaru could see the woman clearly now. He saw her moment of confusion and her quick resolution to maintain battle position. He then saw Sango's sudden look of shocked recognition of him. 'So, she did not know I was here. Nevertheless, I will still destroy this lowly human.' He thought grimly. He was coming upon the woman quickly.

Deep inside, he acknowledged the wondrous sight before him. His heart constricted slightly. Sango was a wonder to behold set within the glowing pulsing lights. Her eyes glittered with anger. Her jaw set in determination. She had a flushed look, as blood raced throughout her system preparing herself for a strenuous glorious battle. At that moment in time, she was the embodiment of power; however, she was only a lowly human female. He scoffed the notion aside and willed his heart to cease its annoying activity towards the demonslayer.

Sango felt excitement. She stared at Sesshomaru speeding towards her. She noted the stoic expression on his face. 'There's not a flaw on his face.' She wondered where that thought came from. She observed his hand, claws glowing ready to strike. She could see the tense muscles bulge along his long graceful neck. Her gaze roamed towards his eyes. His angry amber eyes looked right at her. She could not tear her vision away. 'His eyes, what is with those eyes?' She briefly remembered the one time she had thought Inuyasha was cute. She remembered looking into Inuyasha's eyes. 'Sesshomaru's eyes are different. It's like he can see right into me.' Her heart started to race uncontrollably as did the glowing lights.

Sesshomaru suddenly sped up incredibly fast. Before he could take action, he slammed into Sango. They both went flying out of the circle of pulsating lights. With no energy to feed from, the lights faded. Sesshomaru and Sango became encased in darkness. The impact distracted Sesshomaru and the poison on his claws dissipated. Seconds went by. Sesshomaru gained his bearings and realized he had landed on top of Sango. He looked down at her and saw her looking up at him. He could tell that she was having difficulty breathing. She wore a look of panic as she struggle to take a breath. Her eyes began to glaze over and her lips started to take on a bluish tint.

Sango felt the impact take the breath right out of her. She landed hard onto her back. 'When did the ground appear?' She thought and then realized that she could not breathe. The impact winded her, and along with a sudden additional weight crushing her, Sango's lungs could not expand. She looked up to see what was holding her down. She saw white hair, everywhere. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. She fought to breath. Panic filled her thoughts, and every inch of her body. She began to feel light headed and struggled to stay conscious. She did not notice Sesshomaru watching her.

Sesshomaru could feel Sango's weakening struggles. He became fascinated with Sango's eminent death and did not think to move off her as he watched her face closely. He had killed thousands of creatures. Many of them, humans in his lifetime, yet he had never thought to observe death this closely. Sesshomaru became spellbound.

Sango felt tired. Deep in the back of her mind, reason was attempting to tell her that this was only a dream. She could not be dying. Her body was screaming a different tune. 'Why can't I breathe?' She thought and then could not keep her eyes open. Consciousness began slipping away from her.

Sesshomaru watched Sango close her eyes and found the fascination that he had felt earlier dissipate. He felt her body go limp underneath him. 'So, this is it. Humans, such weak, pathetic creatures.' He thought to himself, disappointment and a small bit of disgust filled him. He had expected to see more of death's little secrets revealed to him from this woman. Sesshomaru started to move off the near lifeless demonslayer.

He found his face inches from Sango's as he picked himself up. He found himself spellbound once more. He scrutinized her face, the pallor of near death brought out her faint freckles. Her skin was smooth. Almost as smooth as his. He noted the minuscule blood vessels just below the skin. Without those "imperfections" her skin could have been mistaken for the finest alabaster. He felt a slight urge to reach up and touch Sango's face. He fought that urge as he continued to observe her. She had long thick dark brown eyelashes that curved eloquently upwards. He recalled from memory that the eye color behind those perfect eyelids had been a rich brown with flecks of a deep rich gold.

Sesshomaru recoiled slightly. He became disgusted with himself for being able to recall that small detail in. 'I am NOT that pathetic half-breed, Inuyasha.' However, very deep down inside, he felt _something_ awakening from the long buried recesses of his long forgotten heart. Sesshomaru attempted to shrug the emerging emotion away. The feeling made him feel as though something under his flesh crawled. The sensation started from the pit of his stomach and slithered up towards his forehead where it stopped. The uncomfortable sensation began to pool and intensify around the moon centered on his brow.

End of Chapter nine.

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**I am sooo SORRY everyone! I did not mean to take this long for the next installment. My computer became very very "unreliable"! I did not want to post anything until I had it resolved.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten – Where Are We**

Morning came to the three travelers. The sunlight caused the mist to sparkle like millions of tiny jewels. None of the travelers noticed as they sat in murky silence. Kagome seemed to be on autopilot, moving around the campsite with a strange blank look on her face. She seemed lost and sad. Kagome did not have the anger that she had from the day before. In fact she was, in a way, lost. She went over the events from that very early morning repeatedly in her mind.

_Kagome had woken up from a short slumber. She looked around to get her bearings and carefully stood up. She stretched in order to force the remaining vestiges of sleep from her body. Although she had slept, she still felt very tired. She ran her hands through her hair to give it some semblance of normality. Since she started traveling in the feudal era her hair had become a bit on the unkempt side. She swore to herself for the hundredth time that the next time she was back in her own era she would get a haircut. Suddenly, she remembered the recent events that had lead her to this spot in an unknown part of Japan's vast wooded areas. She turned her head and found Inuyasha, still in the tree that he had settled in from the night before. She rose from her sleeping bag and walked quietly over to the tree. She knew that Inuyasha was awake and that he knew that she had walked over. She inhaled and let out the air slowly as she silently turned to look at the sleeping monk that caused the majority of their current woes. She thought about Sango and the pain that Sango must have felt when she saw Miroku with another woman. She remembered the last time she saw Inuyasha with Kikyou. Kagome felt a heavy weight fill her chest and tighten her throat. She suddenly felt very heavy, as if her limbs filled with lead. She gave herself a little shake to try to rid herself of the negative emotions. She felt Inuyasha staring at her and turned to look up at him._

"_Inuyasha, you should try to get some sleep. I'll stay up and call you if I need you." Kagome said to Inuyasha. She watched Inuyasha for a while as he gave her a long hard stare. He looked like he wanted to ask her something. Instead, he remained quiet as he examined her face. She felt herself becoming flustered underneath his intense stare and was prepared to say something about it. _

_Inuyasha broke the silence. "You know that I don't need to sleep as often as you do." He retorted and then yawned. Inuyasha's face went slightly red._

_Kagome smiled both in relief that Inuyasha's intense stare was broken and mostly because Inuyasha seemed so human and adorable at that moment. _

"_Oh, really?" Kagome stated and watched as Inuyasha's face reddened even more. "What was that? The yawn of alertness?" Kagome stated and giggled as softly as she could hoping that she would not wake the sleeping monk. _

_She gazed at Inuyasha with a hint of longing as she watched Inuyasha's normal closed off expression turn into a relieved smile. She stood in her spot as she watched Inuyasha leap down from the tree and stand in front of her. She gasped in shock when he pulled her into a warm embrace, holding her close to her body. She marveled at the feel of his body against hers. His body was warm and firm. She could feel his muscles along his arms and chest press against her. He had a warm masculine smell to him that she had always found enjoyable and inhaled deeply. Kagome closed her eyes in order for her senses to enjoy the unexpected experience completely. She felt him rest his chin on her head, bringing their physical contact even closer. She felt safe and allowed herself the privilege of melting into his embrace. She listened to Inuyasha heartbeat beat in time with her own and was in awe at that. _

"_Kagome, I'm sorry." Inuyasha stated but did not release her from his embrace. _

_Kagome felt complete. She knew that he was not apologizing for holding her. She felt as though she could almost feel what he felt at that moment in time. She wanted to tell Inuyasha that she loved him with her entire heart, and that it did not matter what he had done before. Kikyou may be a part of Inuyasha's life and his past; however, Kagome was a part of his life now and at that moment; Kagome felt like she could be, his future. _

_Kagome felt Inuyasha entire body suddenly stiffen up and felt his heart beat increase and change in rhythm from hers. Within a moment, she felt vulnerable as Inuyasha pushed her away from him. She felt disorientated and perturbed. They did not get moments like this often, and she wanted to revel in it for as long as she could have. Her face had become flushed with the excitement that had been growing within her from the close contact with Inuyasha. She had begun to feel a strange pulsating pull emanate from down below. Although the tension down in her nether regions had disturbed and shocked her, in a strange way, she had welcomed it and wanted more. _

"_Shit!" Inuyasha muttered. This vulgar expression annoyed Kagome and broke the mood entirely._

_Kagome looked up at Inuyasha's face ready to say something rather rude to him. She knew that if she did, she would only regret it the moment it left her lips, yet, at that moment she felt crushed emotionally and did not care. She inhaled, and stopped when the expression on his face finally sunk into her brain. She watched Inuyasha's face lose all color as he looked up towards the sky. 'Why is he looking at the sky like that? Sky? Ohh, no. Can't be, can it?' She thought as panic filled her heart. Kagome turned all of her attention towards Inuyasha's line of sight. She followed the direction that he looked in. She finally recognized the moon within the predawn sky. The moon was now barely visible, an extremely thin sliver of white in a diminishing night setting. _

_She gasped knowing what that image in the sky meant. She broke her gaze away from the cursed sight and turned her full attention towards Inuyasha. She waited patiently for Inuyasha to say something. Instead, Inuyasha looked down towards the ground and swore. This time the words did not anger Kagome. _

_Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's face and forced him to look at her. She could see his self-loathing within his eyes. She knew that at this particular time in the moon's cycle Inuyasha felt helpless, although he always tried to cover it up with harsh courage. She felt partly to blame for not realizing that his 'change' was upon them. Kagome's own cycles corresponded with his mortal transformation. She had always been relieved for that small miracle because Inuyasha's sense of smell greatly diminished before and during his mortal phase and she never had to deal with Inuyasha mentioning her changed scent to the others of the group and embarrassing her._

"_Inuyasha, look at me. Listen to me. We can still find Sango. You know this. It's only for one day. We can pick up her scent tomorrow. Don't worry." Kagome could sense his feelings of helplessness overcoming him. She withstood Inuyasha's sarcastic glare at her knowing that it was his mask of bravado erecting itself within him. Kagome stood there as Inuyasha bounded away. _

Kagome sighed sadly. "And here we are now. No Sango, no Kirara, no Shippo." She looked down toward the ground in an attempt to fight back tears that had begun to pool within her eyes. She heard movement coming from the campsite and realized that she had forgotten about the monk. A bit of her previous anger returned. She wanted to continue to ignore Miroku, make him feel small and uncomfortable like she had before. If only she wasn't so tired. Kagome had learned a long time ago, that remaining angry required a lot of energy. Energy that at the moment she could not spare.

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**Thought I forgot about these guys, huh?**


	11. Chapter 11

**For those of you who haven't given up on me yet … here ya go. Yes, I'm still here, and yes Inuyasha and all of it's affiliates still do not belong to me. Sigh … I thank everyone for their patience. Just a reminder, I changed the ending to chapter 8 a while ago, so if you haven't read the revised version, please do so, or the rest of the chapters might not make sense. **

**Angelhairone **

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**Chapter Eleven – The Wonders of Silence …**

Sango opened her eyes even though her body was fighting with her to remain motionless. She looked up and saw nothingness. Panic filled her until she remembered her settings. She found that she had no energy to move more than her head and that small bit of movement in itself was exhausting. Sango decided to follow her body's wishes and simply laid there. As she slowly turned her head to get her bearings, Sesshomaru came into view. She blinked a couple of times in confusion. "Are you one of my delusions?" She asked Sesshomaru knowing that he would not answer. None of the images that had assaulted her mind had ever acknowledged her.

Sesshomaru watched her silently for a moment. She simply stared at him when she turned her head towards Sesshomaru. 'There is no fear in her eyes.' He thought mildly bemused. "Delusions?" He answered in a deadpan voice. He continued to watch her. His hand rested idly on the pummel of Tenseiga. Sango frowned with confusion. Sesshomaru felt the odd urge to smile. He fought the urge and won. His amusement did not show on his face.

"Why are you here?" Sango asked Sesshomaru once her shock wore off. She continued to stare at him waiting for his image to dissipate like the rest. 'Somehow this delusion can react to me. I wonder how interactive this likeness is.' She thought to herself. "Why are you here?" Sango repeated.

Sesshomaru remained silent. 'She does not know? Was she not the one to have brought me here? Is this a deception to fool me into thinking she had no part in bringing me here? If this is so, I will teach her the consequence for such deception.' Sesshomaru thought to himself. "Are you really that imprudent to attempt deception and expect me to believe you did not know I was here?" He said to her. A small hint of anger infused his voice. His eyes grew hard. Within a single moment, he watched Sango's expression go from wonder, to hurt, to anger. 'Human's and their emotions. They do have an interesting array.' He thought to himself absently.

Sango felt her heart constrict when Sesshomaru directed his stinging words to her. 'This replication is as rude as the real Sesshomaru.' She thought bitterly as anger awoke inside her. 'Fine with me. I'll just ignore this image like I did the rest, and it should go away shortly.' She thought to herself. She forced her body to respond to her will and began to rise. It seemed to take forever before she finally sat up. She looked away from Sesshomaru's direction in an attempt to ignore Sesshomaru. She felt awkward sitting there alone with Sesshomaru staring at her. 'I know that he's not real, but he feels real. I can even sense an aura. Okay Sango, let's not overreact here. He's not real.' She thought to herself in an attempt to ease her growing nervousness. Ignoring Sesshomaru was not that easy of a feat to do. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. She tried not to fidget as her nerves got the better of her.

Sesshomaru allowed himself a small smile as he observed Sango's nervousness. "What do you think you are doing?" He stated with a tone of voice that made it plain to Sango that he did not think much of her.

Sango gasped and turned to look at him wide eyed before she realized what she was doing. The silence that had enveloped the two figures had been intense to the point of nearly being physical. The sudden absence of silence had startled her. Sango's face suddenly flushed a bright pink when she remembered that she had been trying to ignore the creature that had spoken. She quickly turned away and attempted to resume her ever increasingly difficult task of ignoring the "delusion".

Sango absently moved her hand to her face. 'Why do I feel embarrassed? It's not like he's the real thing. If he were, we would be fighting to the death instead of sitting here.' She thought.

Sesshomaru found himself becoming inpatient with this woman. When he asked a question, he expected an answer quickly. "Do not think to make me repeat myself, Human."

Sango felt herself stiffen when he had spoken. The way he had said the word "Human", made it plain to her that he meant it as an insult. She almost turned to look at Sesshomaru to say something not becoming a lady and fought with her growing anger. She forced herself to calm down and continued to ignore Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru felt his impatience grow quickly to anger. He wanted to slice her open for her impudence. He took a step towards the sitting woman. Her back remained facing him. She showed no sign of battle readiness and that stopped Sesshomaru. He stared at Sango hard attempting to determine her reactions towards him.

Sango felt her anger rise once more. She chose to ignore this image of Sesshomaru. Sango inwardly sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. She wished that she would just wake up already. The sooner that she was in the real world, the sooner she could … could what? Sango felt pain rip at her heart. The memories flooded back to her. Sesshomaru had only been a diversion to the pain that she had been struggling to ignore. She felt the tears well up and cascade down her face. Sango hugged herself tighter and subconsciously began rocking herself gently back and forth. Gentle sobs escaping unknown from her soft lips.

Sesshomaru sensed the saline composite of tears. He tilted his head upwards as the salt laden scent assaulted his nose. He never did like the smell of human tears. "Pathetic." He stated in a cold voice.

Sango found herself grinding her teeth. She turned around and glared at Sesshomaru. Her emotions felt out of control. She felt like she wanted to lash out at something, anything. Sesshomaru came into view. Without thinking, she lunged towards the Inuyoukai. Her face wore a mask of pure hatred and loathing.

Startled, Sesshomaru uncharacteristically stood there and allowed the enraged woman to attack him. Her attacks did not hurt, and he withstood the barrage allowing the woman to exhaust herself.

It seemed like only a moment since Sango began her hostile attempt, when she felt the small bit of energy she had. As it left, her knees began to buckle. Her vision became blurry and she attempted to focus on the one thing within the void that she could see, Sesshomaru.

End of Chapter 11.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – Sensations …**

Sesshomaru grabbed the falling woman without meaning to do it. He looked down towards the woman and noticed that she was attempting to look at him. They stood like this for several minutes. To them, it seemed like several hours as the discomfort between them grew. He had his arm around the woman, thus pinning her arms and chest against his armor.

Sango's head fell back as she felt her strength to hold up her head leave her. This left her graceful neck dangerously exposed. She felt helpless, tired and most of all humiliated. She was mortified that she did not have the strength to push herself out of Sesshomaru's grasp, and ashamed that she found it comforting to be within that embrace. She slowly closed her eyes as she concentrated on summoning up her willpower. Her body refused to listen to her and continued to remain like a helpless rag-doll. Sango sighed in frustration.

Sesshomaru watched as Sango's head became too heavy for her to hold up. He could see her pulse along the lines of her neck and became spellbound watching the soft pulse. He found himself wanting to feel that point along her neck where her heartbeat revealed itself. It fluttered softly against her pale skin. He slowly lowered the woman onto the ground without realizing that he had done so. Her head tilted off to the side away from Sesshomaru leaving the pulsating point of fascination still exposed. He leaned in closer to examine more detail. His hand came toward Sango's neck slowly and silently, like a hunter closing in on it's prey. When the soft skin of his fingertips made contact with the softer texture of Sango's neck, he was almost shocked out of his trance. Almost. The texture of her skin became a wonder to him. It was very much unlike his, and yet it had it's own silkiness to it. He could almost feel soft electrical sparks along the tips of his fingers as he softly trailed the path of the pulsating vein along Sango's neck. Those sparks seemed to travel up along his arm and down towards the pit of his stomach. His breathing increased slightly. Sesshomaru's pupils dilated as he continued focusing his attention towards Sango's neckline. He had never bothered to wonder what a human's skin felt like when he dispatched them.

Sango felt herself lowered to the ground. She felt oddly colder when she felt the pressure of Sesshomaru's closeness leave. She kept her eyes closed. She did not want to see Sesshomaru, nor the expression of disgust that he probably had on his face. Her head moved away from Sesshomaru on it's own accord. She felt Sesshomaru move in closer. Sango found herself panicking; she felt inside herself that he was probably moving in for the kill, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Her body just didn't have any life energy beyond staying alive. She felt his hands make contact with the skin on her neck. 'He's going to strangle me!' She inwardly screamed hoping that would force her body to respond to the danger. It did not. She shut her eyes tighter and waited for the end to come upon her in the form of strangulation.

The end did not come. Instead, she felt fingertips stroking her neck softly, delicately. Sango felt confusion bubble forth. 'What the hell is he doing!' Sango inwardly screamed. She didn't know what to think. 'Does he always do this before killing … a … woman?' In all honesty, she did not know. She continued to fear for her life as she felt the softness of his touch explore the outline of her neck. The caress of Sesshomaru's fingers almost felt as though behind each stroke there was underlying gentleness. As Sesshomaru's fingers continued their delicate contact with Sango's flesh, she became more and more confused. She began to feel unsure about his wanting to kill her as he continued his ministrations.

The minutes continued to tick on, and despite that, Sesshomaru continued trailing the outline of Sango's pulse along her neckline. He followed it towards Sango's jaw line and then would follow it back down towards the hem of Sango's outfit. He found himself wanting to explore more of her neck. His fingers began caressing the exposed throat and traced the outline of Sango's jaw line. His breathing continued to increase, not that he was aware of it. In fact, he was not aware of anything other than the exposed skin on the neck of the incapacitated demonslayer. He could not hear the angry roaring inner voice inside himself telling him to stop and kill the woman for placing a spell on the Great Sesshomaru.

Her heart began to increase it's tempo. Unconsciously, she began to breathe harder. The sensations of Sesshomaru's touch sent electrical sparks down towards the center of her stomach. She bit the bottom of her lip as the sensations began to build. Sango arched her neck slightly; the motion gave Sesshomaru more access to her neck area. She had never felt anything like this before and it was confusing her. She did not know what to make of Sesshomaru's actions or of the resulting responses of her body to those actions. The only thing that her mind registered was the fact that Sesshomaru's fingers were creating very pleasurable and intense feelings within. If she had been herself, she would have found his touch revolting. On a subconscious level, she knew this fact and ignored it.

Sango found Sesshomaru's caresses growing bolder more urgent. 'Urgent for what?' She thought to herself as she could not ignore her resolution to not look at Sesshomaru. She needed to know. She turned her head slowly and opened her eyes. She gazed on Sesshomaru's face and focused on his amber eyes. The intensity within them drew her in and she found herself becoming lost within the endless depths of them. Sango felt as thought she could almost see pain and bitter loneliness hiding behind a mask of stone indifference that had been cultivated through out the years. Sango found herself wanting to know if this was true or just wishful thinking on her part. The longer she stared into Sesshomaru's eyes, the stronger the sensation of psychologically being pushed back became. However, she refused to break eye contact and withstood the barrage of the anger and rage of his inner soul that she, a lowly human had the audacity to delve into his soul without consent.

As Sango continued to gaze at Sesshomaru, his caresses stopped. He snapped back to the current situation as the intensity of her stare continued, from her attempts to delve into Sesshomaru's soul. He slowly moved his hand away from her throat back towards himself, and Tokijin. He did not break eye contact. Nor did he notice that Sango had sat up while he had focused on the sensations of her skin and was now in fact rather physically close to him.

Sango's breathing came out ragged. She did not realize that her body had found a reserve of strength and forced itself to sit up and lean toward the demon beside her. She continued to delve into the depths of Sesshomaru's eyes, oblivious to his current actions or her own. She did not notice that her arms were rising on their own willpower and that her hands were now moving to shorten the remaining space between the two beings. It did not even register in her brain the moment when her hands gently made contact along each side of Sesshomaru's face. Her heart ached in empathy for the creature before her. She could almost taste the pain that he was desperately trying to hide within his eyes. 'Had no-one ever thought to really get to know this man? Did anyone ever truly look within his eyes?' She doubted it. He was a creature that would never let anyone come physically close enough to see the ocean underneath the ice. 'Why?' She found herself asking.

She continued to lean in closer. Both beings failed to see it. Sesshomaru mentality fought to break eye contact with Sango, and she fought to maintain it.

Sango was jolted back into herself when her lips touched Sesshomaru's. Her eyes widened from the sensation of warm, soft, firm flesh encountering her own. Time seemed to stop. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. Subconsciously, she noted that Sesshomaru's eyes also widened. Both of them froze. This came unexpectedly to both of them. Sesshomaru's inner self roared in outrage. Sango felt fear wash over her entire body and she moved to look away since she found herself unable to move once again.

Sesshomaru went livid. His eyes grew intensely cold as he glared at the lowly human woman sitting before him. 'That pathetic human female had the audacity to touch him. Like that! And she has the nerve to remain in his presence and not run for her life?' Thoughts raced through Sesshomaru's mind as the anger continued to build. In a blur his hand moved again towards Sango's neck, however this time, it was bent on crushing her windpipe and killing her for her transgressions.

Sango's eyes widened in pure fear as she felt Sesshomaru's grip tighten on her throat. She looked back into Sesshomaru's face and noticed the expression on it. The expression of hatred and malice.

His grip faltered for a microsecond as his mind registered the look of pain, fear and sadness registered within Sango's eyes. He growled and tightened his grip. 'Since when do I care what lowly mortal humans think.' He grabbed the hilt of his Tokijin and withdrew it from it's sheath never taking his gaze away from Sango. With as much force as possible he plunged it into Sango's midsection. Sango's eyes widened as she felt the impact of the blade.

Confusion flooded Sango. She had expected to feel the blade slice into her and kill her. Instead she felt, nothing. The features on her face displayed her confusion.

Sesshomaru paused. Sango's expression confused him. That confusion was enough to halt the bloodlust that had entered his mind. He tore his gaze away from Sango's face and looked down, Sesshomaru's eyes widened in confusion.

In his hand was Tenseiga. As it registered within his mind which sword he had plunged into the woman, the sword came to life and gave a tremendous shattering pulse that went through both Sesshomaru and Sango.

Sango looked down to see where the pulse of energy came from. She saw the sword and suddenly everything around her seemed to glow. The glow intensified and then everything went dark.

End of Chapter 12.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I don't mean to be ... well, mean. Honestly. I just want you all to keep reading. (Review, review, review!) For those who do ... Thank You VERY much!**

**A/N: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its affiliates. (!#$$!$) sigh. **

**And now, back to the story. If, I get 10 more reviews, I'll post another chapter right away, and you all won't have to wait another week. (Spoken with an evil glint in eye.)**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – Of Little Faith …**

Kagome walked towards the offending houshi determined to control her ire. She did not have the energy to waste on being angry with him. She wanted to find Sango and fast. It had already been several days since Sango had run from the group. To make matters worse, Inuyasha would be undergoing his human phase soon. For the time being, the group would not be able to depend on his sense of smell, hearing or eyesight. 'If only we had waited for Kirara to get better. We might have found Sango by now.' Kagome thought to herself.

Kagome sat in the same vicinity as Miroku; however, she did not look towards him. She locked her gaze off into the horizon forcing herself to remain calm. The two sat like that for a long while. Inuyasha had gone off to try to pick up Sango's scent trail. 'Judging by the length of time it was taking him, he was not having much luck in that aspect.' Both Miroku and Kagome thought silently.

Miroku truly did feel intense remorse at his actions. He deeply cared for Sango, but he knew that he did not have long in this world at the present rate of the situation at hand. He needed an heir, and fast. Miroku had thought long and hard about his decision before proceeding with what he had been caught doing. Considering what awaited his first-born son, it was better that Miroku did not know the mother considering the inevitable fate awaiting her child should he fail in ridding the world of Naraku. It would break Miroku's heart should he end up caring for his son and fail. Miroku sighed and looked down.

Kagome caught herself looking towards Miroku when she heard him sigh. She watched him look towards the ground, his bangs covering his eyes. She could not read his expression, however the aura surrounding him was one of depression and self-loathing.

"Tell me one thing," Kagome said breaking the silence.

Miroku's body gave one tremendous tremor from the shock hearing Kagome's voice within the silence had induced. His head shot up and he observed her silently. He withstood the searing glare she gave him. They sat like this for several minutes as Miroku gathered his thoughts. He wanted them to understand. He really did, however, when he had come to his decision, he found that he could not bring himself to explain what he had been attempting. Sango and Kagome seemed so full of life, and optimism. He on the other hand, had felt as though he was only living a half-life. Waiting for the day when his cursed Kazaana would finally consume him, and everything in the immediate area.

"What is it you want to know?" Miroku stated not breaking eye contact with Kagome. He knew fully well what she wanted him to say, yet he was still finding it hard to find the words.

"Why? Why did you do it? Didn't you love Sango? I mean … I thought … Ohh, I don't know!" Kagome flustered. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears of frustration and anger.

"Do you really have to ask me that?" Miroku pleaded.

"Yes, Sango is like a sister to me. I thought you cared about her … deeply. This doesn't make sense to me. And because of your actions, Sango is out there somewhere. So, yes, I want to know why you felt you had to hurt Sango by doing what you've done! And don't you DARE tell me it's because a man has needs!" Kagome stated her voice becoming louder in her anguish.

Miroku sighed. But, he didn't give an answer. He looked down to the ground sorting his thoughts. This infuriated Kagome even more; however, she was able to still her tongue. She would get an answer even if it meant that she had to pin him to a tree using her sacred arrows to get it.

"A couple of months ago I had noticed my Kazaana increasing substantially. I had Mushin look at it; however, even he was not able to reverse the effects. Kagome, my time here is running short. I don't have much time left in this world." He paused looking to Kagome for her reaction. She was about to say something. He silenced her by continuing. "I care for Sango. I love for her more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. That will never change. Unfortunately, I do not have the option of courting her anymore. Kagome, she has to go on. She must defeat Naraku and take her revenge."

"That's it? That's your explanation?" Kagome stated icily ignoring his cringe at her words. "I thought you knew us better than that. Miroku, we are like family. Don't you get it? Do you honestly think that we didn't know about your Kazaana? Why do you think Sango tries so hard in battle! She doesn't want you using your Wind Tunnel! Didn't you ever wonder why we are searching so desperately to find the remaining shards and Naraku? We know your time is limited. That's why we've been racing all over this damn country to find them! Do you honestly have that little faith in us … in her?"

Miroku was about to say something in response to Kagome's words, but before he could Inuyasha bounded into the camp.

Kagome could see from Inuyasha's posture that he had been unsuccessful in picking up Sango's scent. She looked at the sky and noted that it was becoming late in the day; the sun was off in the horizon. 'I should probably make something for all of us to eat now. At least that's something Inuyasha always looks forward to.' She mentally noted and proceeded to rummage in her backpack for Inuyasha's favorite food, Ramen.

End of Chapter 13.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – Back to Reality …**

Sango opened her eyes with a start, gasping for air. She found herself the unconscious victim of suffocation by a very angry and demented Jaken. His small hands were very intently in the process of covering her mouth and nose thereby cutting off the airflow to her lungs. Had she remained unconscious, she would never have woken up. Jaken ignored the look of confusion and panic that showed in Sango's unfocused eyes. He smirked knowing that he was the one, putting an end to the wretched human's life. Jaken did not like change, and the thought of having two human females vying for Lord Sesshomaru's attention had been the breaking point within Jaken's psyche. He applied more pressure ensuring that there would be no chance of air escaping his hold and thus allowing the woman to continue life.

When Sesshomaru ordered Jaken to leave with Rin and Ah-Un earlier in the day, Jaken had formulated a plan on how to remove the annoying injured demonslayer from their company. Several hours had passed since that order. As soon as he found the opportunity, he abandoned Rin and Ah-Un's company and proceeded to return to the encampment. This had been no small feat considering that Rin seemed hell bent on keeping Jaken within her line of sight at all times. However, the girl was after all a mere human and humans had bodily functions that refused to remain ignored no matter how hard she had tried. The moment she had left to find a private spot for herself, Jaken "escaped". The small green creature had hoped with all of his heart that Lord Sesshomaru had dispatched the vile woman. He had not liked the way his master had been responding towards the vile human female. Once he arrived at the camp, he found that his hopes had remained unanswered. The woman was very much still alive, unconscious but alive. His focus narrowed on the demonslayer lying on the ground. He had then proceeded to move towards the human, knowing what he had to do and he was very determined to do it. He had forgotten the fact that Lord Sesshomaru might still be within the vicinity; rather, he had convinced himself that Lord Sesshomaru would want his vassal to do the lowly dirty work of ridding them of the contemptible woman.

Jaken walked up to the woman and leaned in toward her face. His hands found the appendages in which she took in air. Applying as much force as he could, Jaken added his own weight to the seal that his hands had made on Sango's mouth and nose. Her body jerked in response to the lack of oxygen, but her eyes remained closed. About thirty seconds had gone by and the jerking motions were becoming weaker. Suddenly, Sango's eyes flew open, startling Jaken, but not enough to lessen the vice grip he had. He smiled in evil delight as he watched her expressions of confused panic. She fought back weakly and she was losing.

Suddenly, Jaken found himself thrown back with an incredibly violent force. As he flew through the air, he glimpsed Lord Sesshomaru standing beside the demonslayer. Jaken's face blanched as the expression on Lord Sesshomaru's face registered within Jaken's mind. Sesshomaru's eyes had taken on an increasingly red color. The Inu Youkai's stance was almost feral. That was the last image that he had before crashing into a large tree and then, everything went dark as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Sesshomaru had acted without thinking about the consequences of those actions. His movements were purely instinctual. He tried to get a bearing on where he was when a great shooting pain centered on his forehead. His hand came up to head and he grunted. His eyes maintained their feral redness as he slowly walked towards a nearby tree and then sat down gracefully. As he did so, he mentally pushed back the pain to the recesses of him mind. While he sat there regaining his composure, he recalled the events prior to finding himself striking his vassal into the forest. The redness in his eyes slowly began to fade.

Sesshomaru remembered sitting beneath a tree waiting for the injured demonslayer to regain consciousness. He recalled closing his eyes and then the strange sensation of disorientation. When he had again opened them, he found that he was in a dark place and only the woman was there. He recalled the sensation of finding himself drawn towards her without his consent, his anger, and then the sudden fascination with her pulse.

As he recalled that last memory, the pain broke from his mental constraints and flared to life. Sesshomaru found himself gritting his teeth, as he again had to regain control and push the offending pain back.

Sango continued to rest on the ground. She had probably been there for a while, judging from the stiffness in her limbs and the throbbing pain in her side from prolonged pressure of a sharp rock underneath. She softly gasped for air after the encounter with Jaken. Sango felt so heavy and tired. A sensation of depression had enveloped the woman, one that she could not shake off. She closed her eyes trying to recall her last moments before waking up to find herself being suffocated by the tiny would be assassin. Her memories were foggy. Sango was having a hard time in recalling them. Slowly an image came forth, one of cold amber eyes. Her eyes widened. 'Sesshomaru?' Suddenly, everything came flooding back to her and she gasped with alarm. "Did that really happen?" She softly stated to herself. Subconsciously, one hand moved to caress her stomach at the exact spot that Sesshomaru had forcefully thrust the Tenseiga, ramming the sword up to the hilt through her. The funny thing was, as Sango recalled, it didn't hurt. Instead, it tingled in a weird way. That lack of pain had confused her. Before she had time to contemplate why, the sword pulsed with energy. The next thing she could recall after that was the feeling of slimy green hands choking off the air to her lungs.

"Did what happen?" Came a rather tight response from a cold masculine voice behind her.

Sango's heart stopped. Slowly she turned her head towards the direction of the voice. She hoped against hope that the voice did not belong to the one person that she did not want to see at that moment. All the blood left her face as she focused on the Inu Youkai sitting against the tree only yards away glaring at her. 'Oh, great.' She inwardly groaned and quickly looked away as her face became hot.

Sesshomaru felt the odd urge to smile at her reaction to his simple question. He found her obvious discomfort almost enjoyable, if only the pain he was experiencing was not there. 'If there had been no pain, he the Great Sesshomaru would have ran that meager human woman through with his Tokijin, the proper sword that he had meant to grab in that pathetic dream that he had woken up from.' Sesshomaru thought through the throbbing pain.

End of Chapter Fourteen.

A/N – I won't be able to update this story until after the September long weekend. Two weeks. (Can we say ……… holidays! Yippie!) I'll update as soon as I get back. I promise. BTW, I **tried **not to leave this one as such a cliffie. I apologize if it was. Okay … maybe I don't apologize. How else am I going to get all of you to keep reading? Hummmm? ( I says with an evil laugh! Okay! Okay! Okay! Somewhat evil laugh)

Angelhairone


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 – And Around And Around We Go …**

Sango found herself in a somewhat uncomfortable situation. She knew that if the Inu Youkai had wanted to kill her, she would not be able to stop him in her present situation. She knew that she should feel terrified for her life; however, there was a suspicion now lodged deep and growing inside her and it was currently whispering to her that he would not harm her. She could not figure out the reasoning for this feeling. Sango found herself instead becoming flustered. She had a feeling that it wasn't because of Sesshomaru's simple question. It was because of the startling fact that Sesshomaru was in fact within the vicinity. When she thought about it, really, really thought about it, she realized that she had never been this close to the great Inu Youkai before. She fought with herself to remain looking away. In truth, she wanted to examine the Dog Demon. She wanted to examine his features and mentally compare them with the thousands of different demons that she had met throughout her life. She found herself needing to know if the mental image of the stoic Inu Youkai ran true with the image that she had formed within her mind of all the other instances that she had briefly encountered him. Deep inside she also wanted to compare him to the memories that she now had of Sesshomaru in her dream.

Curiosity finally got the better of Sango and she found herself moving her head very, very slowly towards Sesshomaru. She did not want to be too obvious with her attempt at stealing a glance at the demon so she paused and looked up at the sky. Only to find herself staring into two intensely glowing golden orbs as Sesshomaru had moved and was now standing very close to her waiting for her response. Sango shrieked, shutting her eyes and found the strength to lift her arms into a defensive posture. Seconds went by agonizingly slow as Sango waited for her end to come. Her arms were fast becoming tired as she maintained her position. An eternity seemed to go by, yet no attack came. Her arms began to shake with the tension it took to keep them above her head. She did not want to drop her defensive posture even thought she knew that it would do nothing to prevent Sesshomaru from ending her life should he be inclined to do so.

"You have not answered my question human. Did what happen?" The direction of Sesshomaru's voice coming from above her, the distain was obvious.

"N-Nothing." Sango managed to say without sounding too much like an idiot. She mentally groaned when she heard her voice. She was a demon slayer! Not some insipid woman who had to depend on another to keep her alive. He should be the one fearing her, not the other way around. Never the less, that seemed to be the situation as of late.

Both Sesshomaru and Sango sighed in frustration at the same time. Sesshomaru arched one perfect brow and glared down at her while she slowly opened one eye to determine if the demon had moved away.

The two remained silent. Sango's arms suddenly gave out and fell to her sides unceremoniously onto the ground with a muted double thud. Sesshomaru's nose twitched when he smelt the scent of saline. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. 'Pathetic humans.' He thought and looked away.

Sango had never in her life felt so, helpless. Not when Naraku had tricked her brother into killing her father, teammates and nearly herself, nor the time when she nearly died from inhaling poison from that grossly ugly member of the now again dead band of seven. As hard as she could, she could not recall one instance of feeling this, exposed and helpless. The tears forming at the corners of her eyes came unbidden, and unwanted. She wanted nothing more than to be left alone in her misery.

"Leave me alone." Sango spoke in a soft defeated voice. She fought the waves of self-pity that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Were you always this weak and useless?" Sesshomaru stated, turning his gaze to look again at the wretched mortal. His voice, although soft, held volumes of the disgust that he held towards all who were inferior to him. Sango could feel his eyes boring into her although her eyes had remained closed, not wanting to look at the Inuyoukai who stood above her.

Sango's face twisted with loathing. 'I really, really wish I could kick his ass right now!" She thought to herself. She turned her head, now too angry and weak to come up with a seething response. She decided to take the high road and remained silent. Sesshomaru noticed Sango's expression and her movements that had inadvertently exposed her neck towards the stoic being standing above her.

He noted Sango's actions in the dimming twilight of the ending day and recalled the events that had unfurled within the unfamiliar dreamscape in which he had encountered her. He could still recall the feel of her skin there, almost as if it actually happened. He felt the need to find out if it did. She seemed confused and embarrassed, as if she was keeping something from him. He meant to find out what that secret was even if he had to kill her to do it. When Sesshomaru asked a question, he expected an answer.

As he watched her, Sesshomaru again had the alarming urge to caress her skin. Compare the texture of reality to that of the dream. The throbbing pain spiked briefly as he looked down on the woman. His amber eyes darken as he recalled the events in the darkness of the other realm. If Sango had been observing him she would have been mortified. Unknown to either of the beings, the expression Sesshomaru was wearing as he gazed down on her, was one akin to desire.

Suddenly Sesshomaru fluidly moved away from the weak demon slayer. His eyes seemed focused on something off in the horizon. Internally, he was assimilating the recent events, and fighting back the throbbing pain in his forehead whenever specific images of Sango flashed in his mind. He returned to his previous post from the night before. His hand infinitesimally shuddered as though it objected to the furthering distance.

The area around the two became thick with tension. Oblivious to the silence between the two, the surrounding areas continued with normal forest day-to-day activities. A slight wind caused the trees in the forest to rustle in an almost soothing fashion. Combined with the sounds of various forest animals coming and going, the forest was actually moderately noisy, yet comfortable. Sango found her eyelids becoming heavy. She knew that she needed to remain conscious incase the creature near her decided that he was done doing whatever it was he was doing and kill her, but her body had other ideas. Within moments, despite her internal protests, she fell into a deep sleep.

Sesshomaru could hear the woman's breathing patterns changing, indicating her loss of wakefulness. He moved his head to look at her and glared. 'Is she really that foolish to think it is safe to sleep? I should end her life right now.' He remained sitting. The pulsing pain that had been focused on his forehead ebbed until it was nearly none existent.

As the woman slept, Sesshomaru could hear Rin approaching from the side. He could sense from the rustling sounds that she made traveling through the trees that she was content. The closer she got the more relieve he felt. He wanted to ponder this reaction, when the demonslayer began to softly groan and whimper in her sleep. The sounds that she involuntarily produced infused with despair. She shivered in an unconscious reaction to the coolness of the approaching night. She shifted over to her side, facing him as she brought her arms and legs closer to her body to conserve heat.

Sango's vocal cords made that lonely and heartbreaking resonance again as she slept. Sesshomaru wanted to wake her, if it meant that it would stop the noises that she was producing in slumber. The sounds escaping her lips albeit without her knowledge caused the hair at the base of his skull to stand on end. Sesshomaru found himself softly growling in response to Sango's distress before he realized what he had been doing. He scoffed at himself and allowed his face to display his annoyance.

Rin appeared before Sesshomaru silently awaiting his attention she had her hands behind her back as thought she was hiding something from Sesshomaru. She had observed Sesshomaru's little display and tried to keep herself from smiling.

"Yes Rin?" Sesshomaru asked in an icy tone not bothering to look at Rin. He could smell the food that Rin was attempting to hide from him. 'It's probably for the slayer.' He remembered when he had first encountered her. It was at that time when he suffered severe injuries thanks to that lowly half-breed brother. She had wanted to feed him at that time, going out of her way to try to find something that he would consume. She had received a severe beating in the process when she had been caught raiding the fish nursery next to the village that she had resided in, yet she had continued in her self imposed task to find him nourishment. At that time, she did not realize that he didn't eat human food. It was not surprising that she would want to feed this woman as well. Rin's heart was like that.

"Ummm … My Lord … Are we going to take Sango with us when she wakes up?" Rin asked shyly looking down towards the ground waiting for his response. She had thought long and hard about Sango while she had foraged for something to eat and had concluded that Sango would be a welcome addition to Rin's 'family'.

Sesshomaru looked at Rin, his expression was unreadable. The one word statement that he uttered left no room for argument.

"No."

Rin felt crestfallen. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. She slowly backed away from her Lord, turned around and walked over to where the sleeping woman lay. Rin began preparing for a fire in order to keep the cold away. She inwardly sighed. 'Jaken usually does this for us. I wonder where he is.' She thought as she searched the old fire for any hot embers. Unfortunately, there was none. The fire had died hours ago. Rin grabbed one of the fruit that she had brought with her and bit into it. Some of the juice from the fruit escaped her mouth and dribbled down her chin before she could wipe it off. She sat down beside the sleeping woman and examined her. Sango looked calmer and did not seem to be in as much pain as she had been the night before. Rin continued her examination and realized that the woman still had an air of loneliness about her. The woman shivered in her sleep. Rin moved over to where the discarded sleeping blanket lay and proceeded to cover Sango with it. Returning to her previous position, Rin brought her knees up towards her chest and rested her arms and head upon them. She continued to watch the slayer as Sango slept. Rin wanted the woman to stay within their group; however, the tone of voice that Sesshomaru had used when he had responded meant that he would not allow any room for negotiation.

So, that's that. After many, many moons … I have finally posted this chapter. I don't really like it, which is why it took me soooo long to post it. To any of those who would still be interested in a story that had stalled for so long, arigato for your patience!

Angelhairone


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen – Concessions Made Halfheartedly …**

It was nighttime. The surrounding forest seemed dark and foreboding. Not one trace of the moon would be seen on this night. The three dejected companions sat near a fire that provided both warmth and distraction for the individuals. The camp was free of speech as the three listened to their own inner voices, waiting for the first rays of sunshine to reach them.

Inuyasha hunkered down close towards the fire, his long dark locks concealing his eyes as he impatiently waited for the first light of the new day and his 'affliction' to wear off. He unconsciously began grabbing at pebbles lying near him and started casually tossing them into the fire creating showers of sparks with each stone thrown.

Kagome glared at him, becoming annoyed at the silent Hanyou's actions. Granted, the sparks cascading upwards to the sky were beautiful to watch; however, as the embers fell they were also landing into the pot of near boiling water that she was heating in order for her to make ramen and tea for the evening meal. Kagome's eyebrow began twitching as she tried to remain calm. She began counting inwardly, hoping that this time, that anger management technique would actually work.

Before she reached the 'magic' number of ten and before her recent pent up rage fully blossomed and she released a truly terrifying massive outburst, which would have resulted in the most horrifying 'sit' command to date; Miroku thankfully cleared his voice turning Kagome's attention towards the Houshi. By doing so possibly the destruction of one said monk by the hand of one highly irritated Kagome.

"Kagome, I … I …" Miroku uncomfortably stuttered, noticing the icy glare of death now focused on him. He inwardly reminded himself who he was, and sat straighter offering himself the physical strength he found he needed while dealing with the currently irate woman. He cleared his throat and tried again to say out loud what he had been thinking.

"I have given a lot of thought to your words from earlier Kagome. I apologize to you for my behavior these past several weeks. It was unforgivable, abominable. It grieves me so to see you distressed. However, I stand by my actions." Miroku said solemnly and closed his eyes in anticipation for his oncoming death by Kagome's hands.

Minutes ticked by and nothing happened. Miroku struggled to remain calm as his mind conjured up various images of his oncoming death. Each image more violent than the last. More time passed and he became more and more nervous. Finally, Miroku couldn't take the unnerving calm anymore and he slowly opened one eye to take a peek at his surroundings.

"Gaaah!" The sound escaped from his lips as he shot backwards away from the image before him. Sitting very calmly mere inches away from him had been Kagome. She had been staring at him for Kami knows how long. He chanced a glance towards Inuyasha and noted that the now fully human half demon was not even aware of his surroundings. The Hanyou seemed lost within himself. Miroku tried to compose himself. He was about to say something regarding Kagome's rather close proximity when he noticed Kagome's expression. She looked so sad, so fragile.

"Why?" That one word spoke volumes to him. It spoke of her deep-rooted friendship for her friend and her unbound empathy towards the missing demonslayer. Miroku sighed, defeated. Miroku brought his hand towards his face partially hiding behind it. He passively acknowledged the opposite hand had been the one to provide silent support, not the hand that held the dreaded curse that had aided in the atrocious decisions that he felt forced to make. No, that hand had done enough and was lying idly by his side.

"Sango loves you! I thought you loved her." Kagome stated her voice thick with emotion. The pain in her eyes made her statement more pronounced and cutting.

He sighed once more. He allowed his hand to drop into his lap. He wanted to reach out towards Kagome but fought against it. Even thought Inuyasha was human this night, the hanyou's right hook still packed quite the force when provoked. Instead, he opted for the safer and less damaging eye contact. That decision was proving to be quite the task itself. Kagome's eyes had always mirrored her heart and soul and it was becoming too much for the monk to maintain.

"Kagome, enough." He said in a tired voice that sounded excessively old for him. He fought with himself to maintain eye contact with the distressed woman.

"This isn't some fairy tale story that you are always reading where there is a happy outcome waiting for everyone at the end. Sango will always hold a special place in my heart, but I need to be realistic. If I don't produce an heir soon, then everything that my grandfather, father and myself will have been for naught. Naraku wins. Please, don't make this any harder than it already is." Miroku swallowed hard as he looked down at the ground, breaking eye contact. He managed to contain a sigh of relive when he could no longer see Kagome's pain. Keeping his line of vision downward, he remained silent, choosing his next words carefully.

"Sango will be fine. She's strong, beautiful, and very capable of taking care of herself. Her heart will heal in time." He looked into Kagome's eyes emphasizing his next statement.

"As long as we allow her heart to heal." He paused allowing the true meaning of that particular statement to register with Kagome before continuing.

"Do you understand? One day, she will find that someone who can love her completely without reservation or fear. Doesn't she deserve that? Please desist on trying to play the matchmaker. You should focus your time and energy and concentrate on your needs." Miroku looked calmly into Kagome's eyes, silently begging her to understand.

Kagome could not stop the ever-slight blush that invaded her cheeks with Miroku's last comment. She wanted to continue her side of the argument but stopped when she noticed the look within Miroku's eyes. An expression that indicated that he had finished this discussion and that there was nothing she could further say to make him change his mind. In essence, his expression said, 'drop it'.

She was the first to break eye contact. That silent action was the only indication that she would abide by his decision, even if she would never agree, nor understand the decision itself. Slowly with as much grace as she could muster, she removed herself from close proximity to the monk and stood beside the silent hanyou. She sat close to Inuyasha's side away from the monk and without warning, rested her head on his shoulder silently drawing on Inuyasha's strength.

Inuyasha had been aware of the conservation and had heard every word spoken between Miroku and Kagome. He understood what the monk was saying; however, he knew that it was not his place to say anything. Therefore, he had remained silent and had hoped that the two would be able to work through their differences of opinion. He could tell by the way she leaned into him, that she didn't agree one bit with the monk. He felt moisture on his shoulder. 'Sheesh, sometimes Kagome is just too emotional for her own good!' He stifled a sigh by making it seem as thought he was yawning. Inuyasha glanced at Kagome without turning his head. Kagome's eyes were hidden behind her bangs. Inuyasha silently laid his own head upon Kagome's and they sat like that for a long time.

Inuyasha felt as thought he should say something to Kagome, at least to turn her attention away from the recent conversation. He lifted his head turned the appendage towards her, allowing her time to acknowledge him and found her fast asleep. He allowed his eyes to soften as he gazed at the beauty sleeping against him.

End of Chapter Sixteen …

A/N:

Alas, we cannot always have what we want, now can we. (mental sigh) It's been awhile since we last visited these three. As always, the air around these poor individuals is soo depressing. That's why they will only appear every three or four chapters. (Moreover, they are not the main characters, now are they?) They are important to the story; however, it is depressing to write depressing characters! Anyhooo, I used to update every Friday back when I could update on a regular basis. This time I am going to aim for either Saturday, or Sunday updates. My Friday's are just unbelievably hectic!!!

Thank you all … (You know who ya'll are) for reading and most importantly reviewing!!! You keep me going ya know!

Angelhairone


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen - Rin's Resolve, Jaken's Disappointment …**

Jaken regained consciousness groaning. His entire body screamed in pain. Most notable to Jaken, was the throbbing intense headache. He tentatively raised his hand and felt the huge lump that had formed beneath his hat. At that moment, the events of what had recently taken place that caused him such pain filled his mind. He felt betrayed, angry and hurt. As he pondered his emotions, he realized that "hurt" was the predominate emotion. His lord had struck him because of a human woman. Jaken had only meant to resolve the situation by putting an end to that insufferable woman. If he had been successful, then his little 'family' would have been long gone from this wretched area and this master would have continued on with his search for Naraku.

Jaken sighed loudly. What was becoming of his lord? First, Sesshomaru brought back to life the human girl Rin? It did not matter at that moment in his raving that time and time again he grudging admitted to himself in private that the naive girl did 'grow' on one. Now, Sesshomaru had offered his protection to a human woman? Not just any female either, she was a woman who traveled with Sesshomaru's wretched half brother, no less. He grumbled to himself as he picked himself off the ground slowly. Gingerly he dusted himself off and bent down to retrieve his staff. Amazingly he had managed to hang onto his most precious item until the very last moment when he had slammed head first into the huge oak tree. It was at that moment everything in his world had become dark and his grip had loosened.

He looked up to the sky, visible in small patches scattered throughout the dense foliage. With an intense frown, he wondered how long he hand been unconscious. It was hard to tell without seeing the sun's exact position in the sky. He noted that the sky was a bit darker than the last time he saw it and he noticed a small cloud with a golden red tinge to it. He surmised that he must have been out for a least a couple of hours. It was nearing nightfall. With a start, he realized that he was alone. When Jaken considered the mood that Sesshomaru had been in, there was no guarantee that his lord would come to save him should something befall Jaken. He grumbled once more as be began limping towards the direction of Sango's camp and the uncertain safety tat it presently offered the small green demon.

Rin exhaled softly. She wanted Sango to stay and travel with Rin's family. Unfortunately, her lord did not harbour the same sentiments. She wondered what she could do to change his mind as she was the type of child who was imaginative and at times determined when she wanted something, even with Lord Sesshomaru. Her eyes softened as she watched Sango sleep. Rin contemplated Sango filling the role of an older sister traveling within the group and a small smile graced her lips. She shyly looked over towards her lord to check on his mood before she would begin the process of convincing him how badly needed Sango was to the group as a whole.

Sango softly whimpered in her sleep. Rin's attention immediately focused on the sleeping woman. Sango's bad dreams continued. Rin shuffled closer to the woman. In doing so, she fought back the subconscious inclination to stay away from any and all human contact.

"Sango has bad dreams like Rin?" Rin spoke softly in wonder. Her hand hesitantly crept forward towards the sleeping woman. Sango's sudden movement in her sleep startled Rin and she jerked her hand back towards her body as though her hand was burned. Rin suddenly felt timid in the presence of another female. It had been a long time since she had been in the company of a woman. 'What if Sango doesn't like me?' She thought to herself. Her heart grew a little sad with that uncertain concept.

Another movement from Sango caused the blanket that had been covering her to slide off her sleeping form. Rin moved closer to Sango and proceeded to recover Sango. Rin remained within close proximity to Sango. The nearness somehow filled Rin with warmth that she had not felt in a very long time. Sango's arm shot out from under the blanket towards where Rin sat. It startled Rin but she held her ground, not wanting to move away from the source of new found fondness. The urge to make physical contact with the woman became increasing irresistible to the young girl. She shyly reached over towards the woman, constantly watching Sango's face in the event that Sango woke up and gingerly touched Sango's hand with her own.

That small action seemed to soothe the restless sleeper. Sango's movements decreased and her face began to soften. The hurt expression slowly faded away. Rin watched Sango with astonishment. Her heart seemed lighter as she noticed that small action on Rin's part seemed to make the bad dreams go away. Rin was about to move her hand away and try once more to persuade her lord to 'keep' Sango, when Sango instinctively grabbed Rin's small hand. Rin's eyes went wide; however, she did not make any further attempt to move her hand away. The two females stayed like this for sometime when the rustling and grumbling of one chastised Jaken could be heard within the forest beside the clearing.

Sesshomaru could hear Jaken coming for quite some time. The little demon could not move silently if his life depended on it. It sometimes amazed Sesshomaru that his underling had been able to stay alive for so long. Sesshomaru remained unmoving as Jaken appeared within the clearing. He paused and seemed to grow smaller as disappointment filled him. The small green toad demon resumed his task of walking without a word towards the long dead remaining of last nights fire. He quickly started a now one and proceeded to rub his hands in front of the still small blaze in an effort to warm them.

Internally Jaken fought with his inner demon. He had hoped that his lord had come to his senses and had disposed of the dratted demonslayer while he had been unconscious. When he had arrived at the clearing he saw with his own eyes that had not been the case. He wanted to remove the sleeping woman and be on their way, but the last time he tried that, he found himself unconscious almost a half a mile away. He refused to look at the problem lying at the other side of the clearing. He sat down as far away as possible from the sleeping woman yet close enough to still feel the effects of the fire.

Rin watched Jaken quietly. He acted strange in her eyes. He was quiet for one. Jaken hadn't started nagging her for a whole variety of grievances that he felt Rin did or did not do. Instead he made a fire and then quietly sat down on the opposite end of the clearing, away from Rin and did not once look in her direction. Ah-Un made a sound in response to this turn of events, as Jaken's actions seemed to confuse the two headed beast as well.

Rin hesitantly called out to Jaken. Silence responded. He obstinately refused to look in the girls direction. He did not want to anger his lord further, so he chose instead to ignore the problem at hand. Rin's brow furrowed as she watched the green demon ignore her. She slipped out of Sango's grip and quietly went over to Jaken. She crouched down wrapping her tiny arms around her legs.

"Jaken?" Rin repeated as she attempted to grab his attention with her eyes.

Jaken pointedly looked away from the young girl. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he was pouting. She fought the urge to smile at his actions. Instead, she repeated calling his name. Rin grabbed Jaken's arm and forced him to come with her. She was still hungry and wanted to fish. She stood before Sesshomaru and waited for him to acknowledge her presence.

End of chapter seventeen.

**A/N:**

**Grumble … grumble … grumble …**

**Needless to say, a great catastrophe has befallen my computer….**

**Yes, my main computer has died.**

**Along with it, this chapter as well as the framework for the next three chapters. This chapter didn't turn out quite as well as it had originally, but you gotta make due with what life throws at ya … right?**

**Note to self, save on removable disk from now on.**

**Ahhh … learning experiences … you either love em, or hate em.**

**Well that's all for this week.**

**Angelhairone**


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